Dear Editor,

I spent the last couple of years working offshore on commercial fishing vessels – think “Deadliest Catch,” but on the Atlantic.
I worked on a project funded by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) where I would deploy out of ports anywhere along the East Coast, for day trips or multi-day trips that could last weeks. As you could imagine, I had plenty of time to get to know these captains and crews, sharing bunk rooms, and sitting around the dinner table in the galley.
When I would first board the vessels, the captains were usually polite, but it was no secret they did not want a government observer on their boat. They were taking me out and answering my questions because they had to, not because they wanted to. I always thought this was completely understandable, nobody likes feeling like they are being watched.
What was difficult for me to understand, however, was the outward dislike and distrust for NMFS. The Observer Program is set up to help sustain fisheries, understand fish populations, and ultimately work to ensure commercial fishermen could be successful for generations to come. These men are the ones whose lives depend on the oceans, so why is there so much pushback from them against clean water, conservation, and sustainability?
They know the ocean, the tides, all of the fish species that come up in the net that pay for their kids’ tuition, so shouldn’t they love it more than the policy makers in Washington? The truth is, they certainly do.
Recently, I moved back to Michigan and worked on a project for the U.S. EPA collecting data from a research vessel on the Great Lakes. I spent a lot of time in Northern Michigan, especially in the Upper Peninsula. Driving around with the words “Environmental Company” on your truck brings up some interesting conversations, some great and appreciative, and some not so much. Many of the men and women we talked to were avid sportsmen, and really wanted to know what we were finding out about water quality, what kinds of fish we were catching, where, and how.
Yet, for some reason, as soon as the words environment or conservation get thrown around, many check out. Some of which is understandable, but government regulation is another major player.
There has to be a middle ground to get all of us that know and love these public lands and waters on the same side. Without regulation, we destroy lands and water until there is no chance of recovery. Overfishing in the Great Lakes decimated many fish species in the 1900s, just as it has in the past on the Atlantic, driving many species to extinction. We can all agree we want to be able to use these resources, but not abuse them. There has to be regulation, and you should have a hand in that.
Many of us have spent our whole lives in the Great American outdoors, fishing, hunting, shooting, camping, kayaking, and hiking, and many of us are getting to know these lands for the first time during the pandemic, finally finding time for a hiking, camping, or hunting trip.
We need to work together to protect it. Do not wait until it’s too late. We also need to work to depoliticize these conservation efforts so the responsibility does not fall all on one party. The climate is changing, so why leave the fate of our Michigan farmers, streams, lakes, and wetlands up to policy makers that have never even seen those special pieces of Michigan?
These lands and waters are part of who we are as Michiganders, and we want to be able to pass down these experiences to our children.
Get involved, get outside, get educated, and fall in love.

Sincerely,
Clara Zeder
Clarkston High School Class of 2014