re: Pogie boats again

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These photos are so disheartening. Unbelievable not just because of the destruction but because those pogies boats bring next to nothing to our economy. According to the pogie boat industry's own numbers, they support about 800 jobs and bring about $500 million in revenues.

But, according to this link, recreational fishing adds almost 2 billion to the economy and 17,000 jobs. That's four times as much as the pogie industries rosey numbers, and 21 times as many jobs.

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quote:
Louisiana’s seafood industry generates $1.92 billion in total sales annually and supports about 33,391 jobs. Recreational fishing adds another $1.96 billion in sales and supports nearly 17,000 jobs in the state. In addition to sustaining a large part of the economy, the Mississippi River Delta’s fisheries also support a unique way of life for generations of Louisianans.


And according to this link it's about the same.

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Yeah, it's completely bonkers that we let the pogie boats do what they do.

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The revenue produced by commercial fishing is miniscule compared to that produced by recreational fishing and the management costs of the latter is far less. The need to keep traditions alive based on nothing more than it being traditional for a small number of people, costs recreational anglers and the people who make money off recreational fishing billions every year. It is CRAZY. I saw a thing recently where a pound of ARS in florida caught recreationally was like $9 to the state after management costs while the same pound of ARS caught commercially as like $1 a pound after management costs. It is outlandish.

The public would never know the difference....they will gladly eat Tilapia and farmed fish for the most part. Most consumers can't tell the difference anyway. It is widely known that the single most common product fraud in the world, including the United States, is passing off a species of fish for another. It is possible because almost no one, even an expert, can tell the difference.

What is espeically galling is the fact that most of the fish caught commercially, like Pogies and kingfish, are not meant for US markets. They are sold overseas. Pogies in particular are important because in many areas of the coastal south they are the chief baitfish for much of the year for all species. They are far more valuable feeding trout and redfish than they are in pill form.