FISHING
52
TREASURE COAST BOATING
Fishing guides are the stewards
of the lagoon and we are here
to educate the fishing public
and protect the resource for
future generations.”
Captain Charlie Fornabio fights a large snook off Indian River
Drive in Fort Pierce. At his feet is a GPS anchor that uses a
small motor to position the boat exactly where the guide
wants it with a remote control unit around his neck.
Guides give close-up
look at Indian River
Many see their role as educators as much as anglers
BY GREG GARDNER
Fishing guides could become an endangered species
on the Treasure Coast if fish habitat continues to
disappear from the Indian River Lagoon.
“Fishing guides are the stewards of the lagoon and
we are here to educate the fishing public and protect the
resource for future generations,” says 24-year captain Charlie
Fornabio, one of a dozen captains on the Treasure Coast
who are not part-time guides with day jobs. “People tend
to look at fish populations as vast infinite resources. It’s just
the opposite. The technology to locate and catch fish has far
exceeded the resource itself.”
“The fishing guide business has a very strong impact on
the Treasure Coast with millions of dollars being pumped
into the economy each year,” says Michele Miller, director
of operations for the Marine Industries Association of the
Treasure Coast. “The guides educate people about the environment
and those people go on to make more environmentally
conscious decisions in their everyday lives. Having the
guides on the water promoting a boating lifestyle is good for
our community.”
From March 2011 to October 2012, some 44 percent of the
seagrasses lagoon-wide disappeared, says guide Fornabio,
who lives in Wabasso. He now fishes in Vero Beach and Fort
Pierce as the seagrasses in Sebastian are gone. “The grasses
>>
“
— Captain Charlie Fornabio
PHOTO PROVIDED