APOLLO BEACH, Fla. — The fishing industry is still reeling from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Charter captains say it’s the worst they’ve seen when it comes to cancellations and overall lack of customers.
When ABC Action News introduced you to Captain Mike Murphy during an Apollo Beach community show back in 2021, life on the water couldn’t be better. Fast forward to today, life on the water has been virtually nonexistent.
“A lot of us captains in the past 30 to 40 days, we’ve lost $6,000 to $8,000 to $10,000,” said Murphy.
“A lot of days, we're sitting there wondering what’s going to happen tomorrow. Is this going to be a full-time business that we can survive in?” said Captain William Wise.
These captains said as the cancellations begin to add up, so too do the bills.
“It’s devastation. It’s hard to budget being a captain because you don’t have an annual salary, you don’t have a regular monthly stipend, or budget. You are relying on trip to trip to trip to trip,” said Murphy.
It’s been a domino effect. Brian Wilson, owner of Palmetto Bait & Tackle, said if the charters aren’t running, the bait and gear aren’t selling.
“So we are down about 70% in sales,” said Wilson. “They are a big part of our business, especially in the winter—the bait that I mainly sell, the live shrimp—it’s a big bait for all the captains.”
However, there is reason to be optimistic, as the Apollo Beach community has taken it upon themselves to compensate for the lack of out-of-town visitors.
“They are spending as much time on the water with us as they can to keep us going, and honestly, the support that local is showing local right now is absolutely amazing, and that just does so much for my spirits,” said Wise.
These captains hope to be a voice in the fishing community. There isn’t a better time to cast your line.
“The fish are biting. They are chewing the bottom out of the boat,” said Murphy.
Back-to-back storm events brought record storm surge, rainfall and winds to the Tampa Bay region. The question some are asking now isn’t where people should rebuild, but where we should let nature regain control.
