WETLAND RIDERS
by
Robert Fritchey
1994

When New Moon Press first released Wetland Riders in 1994 the book was so far ahead of its time that—more than 25 years later—it still is!

The groundbreaking text was the first and only popular work to document the origins and tactics of the Coastal Conservation Association, a corporate-backed “non-profit” that’s shutting off the public’s access to many choice wild-caught fish.

Wetland Riders was the first and only popular work to expose that—contrary to public perception and countless media reports—recreational fishing often has a far greater impact on fish populations than does commercial fishing.

Wetland Riders was the first and only popular work to have deconstructed the diverse recreational fishing industry.

Wetland Riders was the first and only popular work to have exposed how the public’s trust in “conservation” has been exploited to win a bigger slice of the fishery pie.

Wetland Riders was the first and only popular work to document the very first national-level campaign by a media organization to “educate” the American public about its fisheries.

Wetland Riders was the first and only popular work to have advanced a sustainable funding initiative by the commercial industry to acquire and enhance coastal fishery habitat.

Wetland Riders was the first and only popular work to have promoted the equitable allocation of contested fish species.

With facts provided by unbiased, publicly funded fishery scientists and natural resource economists, supplemented with several first-person accounts by family fishermen, Wetland Riders captures the essence of Louisiana’s traditional coastal fishing culture during the transformational 1980s and 1990s.

Containing 401 pages, more than 80 black & white photographs and illustrations, notes, and an extensive bibliography, Wetland Riders—ISBN 0-9636215-0-5—retails for $14.95 from Amazon.com and better bookstores. Available in paper only. Quantity discounts are available directly from publisher.

Here’s what some readers have said about the book:

“‘Wetland Riders’ reduces the struggle over nets and fish to an issue of power.” – The Onlooker, Alabama

“Recreational fishermen may not agree with Fritchey’s position, but they would do well to read the book. It will certainly provoke thought—and maybe a little debate.” – National Fisherman

“Although Fritchey admits freely that he is ‘certainly in favor of preserving commercial fishing,’ his book is a balanced look at the survival fight of commercial fishermen and their numerous battles, particularly with the politically powerful Gulf Coast Conservation Association.” – The Sun Herald, Mississippi

“His book describes the rise of the Coastal Conservation Association and the efforts it and its member groups have made to ban nets in several states including Florida and Louisiana.” – Tradewinds, North Carolina

“It’s an exposé of a movement that is destroying the seafood industry around the coasts of America, threatening the availability of saltwater fish to restaurants and consumers. This is an issue that promises to gain momentum in the near future.” – New Orleans Magazine

“A truly spectacular job connecting the dots that have led to the ruin of many hard working, tax-paying American fishermen, and have left the marsh habitat they depend on in sad shape.” – Britton Shackelford, North Carolina Watermen United

“For anyone interested in a detailed description of how resource allocation decisions are being made in the United States, in an intimate introduction to a traditional way of life that is being increasingly threatened in modern America, or in the ‘public be damned’ attitude of some of the sportfishing elite, this book is required reading.” – Nils Stolpe, Garden State Seafood Association

“Readable chronology of the past 20 years, pitting a declining cadre of commercial folks against a growing army of recreationists.” – Fisheries, American Fisheries Society

“A book that tells it like it is.” – John Huskey, Jr., commercial fisherman, Galveston, Texas