Venice charter captains and marina owners hold press conference to get message out
Charter captains and marina owners gathered this evening in Venice. On a normal evening, fish stories of epic proportions would be told, but on this night there are few fishermen and few stories. Instead a press conference was held, and the message was simple: Venice is open for business.
The perception from most of the news coverage is that the oil spill has shut down all fishing in Plaquemines Parish, and that just isn’t the case.
“Eight of the nine marinas in Plaquemines Parish are open for business, and they are catching fish,” said Stan Mathis, director of Plaquemines Parish Economic Development.
Only the east side of the river is closed to recreational fishing; the entire west side of the river is open to fishing, and that includes the offshore waters east of South Pass.
Charter captains report great catches of redfish and speckled trout on the inside, and superb fishing for yellowfin tuna offshore. But in what is normally the busiest time of the year for most charter captains, phone calls aren’t resulting in booked trips. Instead, charters are being canceled, and this is costing local fishermen and marinas thousands of dollars everyday.
“Our fishing right now is phenomenal, and it’s frustrating that customers are reluctant to come fish because of the misperception that all of our waters are covered with oil,” Argonaut Charters’ Capt. Ross Barkhurst said. “That’s not the case, and we encourage people who have charters booked with any charter guides to come down and get in on the great action.”
Capt. Peace Marvel arrived at the Venice Marina dock with a limit of yellowfin tuna, and the Louisiana SportsmanTV crew made a trip 55 miles offshore of Venice on Wednesday and boated a dozen yellowfin tuna and hooked a blue marlin.
No oil was spotted in the fishing grounds offshore west of South Pass, and no dead fish were seen – except for the ones chilling in the ice chests of the boats.
The masses of national media are filtering out of the Venice area and lodging is available, as is food, fuel, ice, bait and supplies. Sounds normal, and it is except the usual parade of boats and fishermen headed south to Venice on a Friday evening was non-existent today.
Rene Cross, owner of Cypress Cove Marina and Lodge, has a simple request.
“Come to Venice and enjoy the best inshore and offshore fishing in the world,” Cross said. “We are open and ready for our recreational fishermen to come back”
In a time when lots of folks are asking what they can do to help those affected by the oil spill in Venice, the message is clear from the charter captains and marina operators: You can help by going fishing in Venice.
The influx of fishermen in Venice on a normal weekend generates hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy, and this is the time of year many of the businesses in Venice generate the majority of their revenue.
The facts are simple: Fishing is open on the west side of the river. Fish are being caught both inshore and offshore. There is no oil in the fishing grounds on the west side of the river nor are the fish polluted.
So on a warm, humid May night , dozens of charter fishermen and business owners all joined together to say one thing: Venice is open for business, and you are invited to head down for some fun.
