Volume 51
Florida Charter and Head Boots in Gulf of Mexico: 1998 Survey Findings
Authors
Holland, S.M.; Graefe, A.R. Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 1998
Pages: 316-323
Event: Proceedings of the Fifty First Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: St. Croix
Country: US Virgin Islands
Abstract
Charter and head boats are an important means of offshore fisheries access. This paper reports preliminary information from on-site interviews with 339 charter and head boat captains in Florida during 1998. There are an estimated 1,510 charter and head boats based in Florida, with the largest concentration in the Keys. Species most frequentIy targeted include King Mackerel, Snappers, Groupers, Dolphin, CobialLing and Billfish. About half of the captains do not target any specific species but fish for whatever is biting. Most captains rate the quality of fishing as average to good. Concerns with high overhead and difficulty with making a profit are major problems. Most captains feel the level of enforcement in their industry is about right, or perhaps less than what is needed. About 90% of the captains feel that they will still be in business three years [rom now.