Rick Crawford
In the history of the world, democracy has proven itself to be the most effective way to govern people because everyone gets a vote. As citizens, we get to choose our elected officials based on their position on issues that are important to us. Sadly, there are fewer and fewer people turning out to vote and as a result we are getting the elected officials and government we deserve. Elected officials that would compromise the health of our environment and fisheries in exchange for personal gain.
As you may already know, there are three main environmental threats our fisheries face today which are Population, Pollution and Policy, or what I call the “3 P’s.” Population can negatively impact our fisheries through things like overfishing, which is why there is a need for environmental regulations to avoid the tragedy of the commons. Pollution negatively impacts our fisheries through plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, which is why we need politicians to implement policies to fight climate change immediately, which leads me to how policy can negatively impact our fisheries.
Ensuring things like clean air and water is a no-brainer and should be a forgone conclusion that every candidate running for office would do everything in their power to protect the environment we all share. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and there are too many examples of politicians taking donations from big industries and corporations to cite, but Gov. Rick Scott, or “Red Tide Rick” as he has been dubbed, is an examplar of an elected official who has taken money from corporate interests like “Big Sugar” and allowed them pollute the environment in the name of deregulation and his own self-interest. If you are not familiar with Florida’s red tide and how its impacting voter turnout, see below:
The results? Florida is experiencing unprecedented red tides killing tons of fish, as well as keeping tourists away, all of which hurts Florida’s economy. This is only one example of how policy negatively impacts our fisheries and why your midterm vote matters, but there are many other issues such as offshore drilling on the Atlantic coast, public lands heist in the West and decisions on if we should fight climate change, all of which negatively impact our fisheries. These issues matter and the only way we are going to change things is by voting people into office that are willing to do the right thing and protect the environment because as David Brower once said, “there is no business to be done on a dead planet.”
There is no business to be done on a dead planet.”
David Brower
TAKE ACTION
So on November 6, head to the poles and make sure you vote the environment because voting is not only our privilege as Americans, but it is our duty. Below are a few resources to help you vote the environment:
- Make a Voting Plan with Patagonia
- If you live in South Carolina, check out Conservation Voters of South Carolina
- Check out the Protect Our Winters Voter Guide
If you are a “Sustainable Angler” then you protect what you love by voting!