Florida Keys fishing guides rallied yesterday to ask federal officials to give back their fishing grounds. The government shutdown has closed Everglades National Park waters.
More than 100 boats, kayaks and paddleboards gathered near the park's eastern Florida Bay boundary where visitors usually fish for game fish like mangrove snapper, snook, tarpon, redfish and trout.
Fishing guides insist Department of Interior officials do something to provide reasonable access, especially if a budget solution is not reached.
"The park being closed means we can't go fishing. That means we can't make any money, and that means the days of fishing we are losing, we don't get back,” said Randy Towe, a 35-year Florida Keys fishing guide who organized the protest. “Although we have offshore fishing, which is still good and that's all fine, but a lot of people come to specifically fish in the backcountry for its beauty for the different species of fish."
Towe says more than 500 people participated in the rally to send a message to Washington.