“Repurpose”
different than recycle. This term has been stuck in my head for a few months
now. I’m in the middle of a few repurposes myself right now
actually. In fact repurposing happens all the time around us but we just have
become oblivious (or desensitized) to it; repurposing grocery bags, cuss words [i.e verbs(F&^%),
proper names(A-Hole), nouns…you get the idea], coffee mugs for pen holders and old
barn lumber for architectural designs are some different ways people repurpose
on a daily basis. Some tangible some not. Also, there’s a type of theoretical repurposing in my opinion,
in that, things you do could be tagged as repurposing; baptism/getting saved,
changing jobs, having kids, getting married... things that one would have to
change their purpose to continue. Lately with all of the heavy handed fish
species and seasonal closures it feels like, in a way "The Man" is
trying to repurpose us weekend warriors into land loving, dirt licking,
concrete zombies. Restrictions on possession limits and stringent size limits coupled
with all-out bans have been trickling there way slowly into state and federal
water regulation over the last three or four years. As these laws are choking
the fun out of what has been an enjoyably pastime for centuries, a new scene
of anxiety has thickened the air around ports and ramps. It sucks. Any given
day an average weekend angler takes the risk of losing their boat over a misguided
harvest of a 12 inch trigger fish because of a closure that happened the night
before due to commercial harvest quota limits/shares being met. “Bullshit!!!!”
I say! Being “strongly” encouraged to download and continuously check updates on the federal
regulation app because the rules are so liquid just seems a bit excessive to
say the least. Pictures of father and son fresh off the head boat with stringers of
fish in hand are becoming a thing of the past. Now days, dropping a weighted rig
down to the bottom or slowly trolling over rolling seas is accompanied by crossed
fingers and prayers that what eats the bait will be legal…today. I
digress. We will, as we always have adapt and evolve to carry on repurposing
ourselves; becoming regulation reading lawyers on the sea, captains of the recreational encyclopedias of rules, boat driving legal dictionaries buoyantly fishing buoy line....
So with that said, raise your glass to the future of the habitat! May it bring joy and happiness to everyone on the boat...everyone but the lonely, hungry, useless fish cooler...
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