The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is responsible for making fishery management recommendations that provide the greatest overall benefit to the nation. This year, the Council welcomes two new members who represent the recreational fishing sector.
Susan Boggs
Susan Boggs prioritizes two things in life, her family and her career. In addition to owning and operating a full-service marina and fuel dock in Orange Beach, Alabama with her husband, she also manages their for-hire fishing business. If that isn’t impressive enough, she also finds time to serve on the local Tourism Board and act as Secretary/Treasurer for the Charter Fisherman’s Association. On top of all that, Susan, her husband, and their daughter are an incredibly cohesive family unit. When they’re not watching their daughter play soccer, they spend time together at their hunting camp and enjoy spur of the moment exploration days, where they jump in the car and head nowhere in particular.
As a small girl growing up in Texas, she certainly didn’t imagine her life revolving around salt water fishing. She always loved the outdoors, spending countless hours bass fishing from a rickety, homemade barge that sat in a 50-acre pond behind her childhood home. Just before her 30thbirthday, Susan moved to coastal Alabama for a business opportunity, and when it didn’t pan out, she got a part-time job booking charters for a local marina.
That’s when Susan’s fishing career began in earnest. While working in the charter office, Susan met her husband Randy, a deckhand on one of the charter vessels in the marina. She credits him with broadening her horizons by exposing her to offshore saltwater fishing. A self-described “stickler for the rules,” Susan struggled to adhere to the marina’s strict “no dating” policy. She eventually had to fess up to her indiscretion and turn down a management position at the marina because of their budding relationship.
Eventually, Susan and Randy bought a 6-pack charter vessel and moved to another marina. From there, their family business model of “sell out or get bigger” took hold. They upgraded from the 6-pack charter to a 65-foot headboat, and eventually bought a second and third vessel to grow the business even further. They were invited to move their business to the SanRoc Cay Marina in 2009, to revitalize its struggling charter business. After growing their own charter business even more, they purchased the entire marina in 2015.
Ms. Boggs answered some questions to give us some insight on her perspective as one of the newest members of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council:
What is the most important issue in our fishery right now?
“Creating stability in the fishery is a huge priority. As a business owner I understand how important it is to be able to make a business plan that is based on predictable access to the fish. Trips can be marketed properly; captains and staff can be employed with more certainty; and strategic decision making can be done with greater confidence. Stability would also allow private anglers more luxury to plan their trips, rather than rush to fish before a closure. Ultimately, stability would begin with a sustainable resource. Once our stocks are at healthy levels, we should be able to find ways to manage our fishermen so that access to fishing is secure and predictable.”
What would you like the Council to accomplish while you have a seat at the table?
“I would really like the Council to consider new, novels ways to manage the fishery. I would like to consider innovative management strategies that go beyond the status quo of Gulf-wide seasons and size limits.
I also hope to encourage more accountability in the fishery. If we can find better ways to track what’s being harvested, we may be able to create better stability in the fishery.
Finally, I want to build more trust between the Council and the fishermen across the Gulf. The Council is asked to tackle difficult decisions and I want the Council and the fishermen to understand that change is hard and we all may need to make some leaps of faith to affect positive change.”
Do you have a favorite fishing moment?
“I’ll never forget the time my mom came to visit me in Orange Beach and we took her on her first offshore fishing trip. She had spent a lot of time fishing with me in our pond growing up, but fishing for snapper off the coast was something she had never experienced. It was so much fun to watch her have that experience. I truly cherish that memory.”
JD Dugas
JD can pinpoint the exact moment that saltwater fishing became his life’s priority. As a boy growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, he had only been exposed to fresh water fishing for bass and “sac-a-lait” or, what most non-Cajuns might call crappie. When he was 13, his best friend’s dad refitted a 1978 Robalo boat with a brand new 250 horsepower Yamaha outboard engine. The day that engine was fitted onto the boat in the neighboring driveway, JD promised himself that he would do anything in his power to make a living that would support an offshore fishing hobby. “Mind you,” he quips “back then, that engine was impressive. I knew I wanted to grow up and fish in the ocean with a machine like that.”
JD and his best friend fished on that Robalo with his friend’s father along the coast. Later in life he bought a fishing camp in a small “camp” community in Grand Chenier, LA. He became part of the community by participating in weekend fishing competitions held amongst the camp owners. The aftermath of Hurricane Rita left JD to focus elsewhere, that’s when he began fishing out of Grand Isle, LA and participating in big game fishing competitions along the Gulf Coast. JD kept his promise to himself. He’s been able to build a family centered life around his passion for fishing.
JD continued to work in the oil and gas industry. He also began to explore marketing /sales for a home health care business. This eventually led to the purchase of a medical suite of businesses to include hospice, home health, and personal care services. JD also started a marine logistics business servicing the oil and gas industry. The business began with the purchase of a boat and grew into a logistics company. He has then found ways to meet a variety of logistic needs in the industry. Additionally, Jd has been involved with coastal restoration projects through Coastal Conservation Association for the last 10 years
Mr. Dugas answered the following questions to lend a better understanding of his perception of the fishery:
What’s the most important issue in the fishery today?
“It’s really important that we find ways to promote fairness for all fishing sectors. Commercial fishermen need to be able to make a living and recreational fishermen need to be allowed to thrive. We must continue to allow for a robust commercial industry while ensuring that recreational fishermen can fish when they want. After all, fishing activity is a major economic driver in our coastal communities.”
As a Council member how do you hope to improve the fishery?
“Ideally, I would like the Council to find a way to develop management measures that perform in a way to benefit the many different needs across the Gulf. I would like to find ways to get away from “one-size-fits-all” management and be more responsive to regional differences in fish stocks and the many different needs of the people across the coast. I’m excited about state management and hope to continue working towards management strategies that take regional differences into account.”
Can you explain why you have such a passion for fishing?
“Fishing is a huge part of my life. I’ve been blessed with the ability to fish a wide range of species and habitats. I think that fishing is so important to me because I can experience all the best parts of life through fishing. If I’m looking for an adrenaline rush I can target big fish offshore. If I want solitude, I can go out alone and catch dinner. If I want to spend quality time with my wife and daughter, we can all hop in the boat in search of speckled trout. Fishing gives me great satisfaction and allows me to enjoy the most important things in life.”
