ABSTRACT
Many kinds of fish are found in Florida's extensive seas, estuaries, lakes, and streams. Many of the larger species are regularly harvested by commercial fishermen and sold for the restaurants and home dinner tables of Florida. Managing fisheries is complicated because there are natural oscillations. The economics of fishing also cause oscillations. When fish are abundant, banks finance more boats and tourist businesses encourage more fishing. Unfortunately, many of the fisheries of the world have been overfished. In 1996, after stocks of larger fish were becoming scarce, commercial fishing with nets was banned in Florida's coastal waters, a great experiment to determine if overfishing was a major factor. The chapter shows that the way sports and commercial fishing are related and compete to use products of the same food chain. Both systems attract investments, money circulation, and jobs. Heavy growths of plants that thrive in eutrophic lakes interfere with boats and fishing.
