In the town known to many as "The Sportfishing Capital of the World," the offshore fishing business is struggling now more than ever, several boat captains said.
"People are ready to fall right now," said Capt. Joe Petrucco of Killer Instinct Charters based at Papa Joe's Marina in Islamorada. "There's a lot of boats in trouble."
Richard Stanczyk, owner of Bud N' Mary's Marina, has operated there for 31 years.
"This is the slowest I've ever seen it," he said.
Captains throughout the Florida Keys say business has been hit hard by a national economy on the precipice. Meanwhile, $5-per-gallon diesel has forced price increases and eaten into profit margins. To make matters worse, evacuation orders for Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Ike dealt the industry a double blow, ruining what little potential the always-slow month of September would have had.
"Most people say business is off 40 [percent] to 60 percent," said Robert Matthais, captain of the Restless Too out of Whale Harbor Marina, on Sept. 24. "I fished Aug. 10 and I fished today. So far this month I have fished one day. Last year I fished four days in September."
It's been the same for fishermen at Charterboat Row in Key West, who lamented the lack of business and skyrocketing fuel costs for a June article in The Citizen.
Capt. Eddie Agin was among those who said the situation could put him out of business. Agin, who was spending most of his days dockside watching the cars drive over the Palm Avenue bridge, had cut his operations to just one boat, and his sons have left the once-family business to find other work.
Five years ago, it cost him $60 to $70 to fuel his boat for a full day of offshore sportfishing just outside the reef, he said. Today it costs $290.
The slow times haven't forced many Islamorada-based charter boats out of business so far, at least as measured by what's happened at the industry's three offshore hubs: Bud N' Mary's, Whale Harbor and Holiday Isle Marina.
Stanczyk said Bud N' Mary's hasn't lost any boats yet, though three charters are on shaky ground. Whale Harbor lost one charter recently, the Jeanie-Q, which Matthais said went out of business. And at Holiday Isle, where captains say the charter business has been slow ever since the resort's aborted plan to redevelop a couple years ago, seven out of 21 slips are empty, according to a recent hand count combined with interviews with captains.
Not everyone said things are dire, however.
Greg Eklund, captain of the Cloud Nine out of Bud N' Mary's, said August was off 20 percent from last year, but September is always slow.
To save precious gasoline, he said many fishermen are going a shorter distance from the dock and eschewing trolling, especially when dolphin fishing. The change hasn't meant fewer fish.
"I think we have improved our methods," Eklund said.
Stanczyk said the crash in business didn't come until the evacuation for Fay. Before that, business was fine. On the whole, he said 2008 has stacked up with any he has seen at Bud N' Mary's.
Capt. Steve Leopold, who keeps his Yabba Dabba Doo at Holiday Isle, said business is down 20 to 30 percent, but the proof will be in what happens come November, or maybe with the start of the tourist season in late December.
"It may never be what is used to be, but I'm looking ahead to a decent season," he said.
Still, other captains see more trouble ahead. Two weeks ago regulators passed a new rule, shutting down all shallow-water grouper fishing in federal Atlantic waters from January through April. A group of local charter fishermen have organized to fight the rule and are talking about pressing forward with a lawsuit.
If the rule does go into effect on Jan. 1, it could force more charter boats out of business, said Petrucco and J.R. Rudzin, whose Captain J.R. Charters is based out of Holiday Isle.
"That's just another nail in the coffin," he said.
Dirrk Reich, captain of Miller Time charters out of Whale Harbor, said the industry is facing another pitfall. While fuel costs have sent prices sailing here, less expensive foreign markets, in particular Costa Rica, have been able to capitalize.
"My regulars are telling me it costs half as much [there]," he said.
The 57-year-old said business is the worst he has ever seen it.