Guide accreditation program proposed

Written by Brandon Shuler

Wednesday, 06 February 2008

Guide accreditation program proposed Public meetings being met with enthusiasm With a simple Coast Guard approved weekend course, $265 for a Texas Guide License, a boat, a couple of rods if he or she is willing to provide them, an ice-filled box, and $75 to place a business-size ad in the back of a magazine, anyone in Texas can call themselves a guide. The back pages of Texas coastal publications include a litany of new names looking to claim a portion of the market served by the more than 900 registered guides operating on Texas’ bay systems. How do customers determine a competent guide from one less qualified? Texas Parks and Wildlife is hosting public meetings aimed at developing a voluntary program to promote well-educated guides trained in conservation methods and proper boating etiquette. The genesis of the guiding program is not a new one. “Guides have approached us before to create a more stringent certification program,” said Perry Trial of TPW. TPW has not determined whether the program will require regulatory action or not. The mission for the Guides Accreditation Program is “to educate and train fishing guides through a voluntary program in the areas of marine resource conservation, safety, and ethical angling so they more effectively serve as leaders in conservation in the Texas sportfishing community.” The current vision proposed by Trial is to require mandatory participation in a TPW-sponsored training program and require participating guides to sign an agreement to follow the program’s adopted conservation methods, safety proponents and best ethical practices. The current proposal does not yet require a continuing education component; however, the possibility has not been ruled out. The potential curriculum mirrors the tenets most popular guides follow; however, the education component will be a primer for even the saltiest guides. Currently, participants would receive education on habitat issues, biology and identification of marine animals and plants, fisheries management issues, boating safety, etiquette, ethics and the history and culture of the Texas Gulf coast. During the first round of public meetings, the program was met with overwhelming enthusiasm and support. Guides present at the meetings stressed how they believe the program should be structured. Many guides expressed an interest in required minimum commercial-for-hire insurance liabilities, minimum time requirements as a licensed Texas saltwater guide, minimal Coast Guard certification standards, no drug- or alcohol-related charges while a licensed guide and required participation in one of numerous outreach events across the state. Only one Texas guide voiced any opposition in the five public meetings, feeling the program was another way for TPW to get money from the guides. “I’ve guided 20 years on the Texas coast from Galveston to South Bay, said trophy trout guide Teddy Spring. “It is about time we old-timers can get involved with a program that recognizes our achievements.” The next step is to build a professional work group of guides to build a generally accepted program and curriculum. The program will create a well-recognized fleet of professional and educated guides and take some of the guesswork out of picking the best guide for a fisherman’s next angling adventure. For further information, call (800) 792-1112.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 February 2008 )

 

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