Emil LaViola oral history interview

Oral history interview with recreational fisherman Emil LaViola. LaViola began fishing as a child and has been fishing in Fort Pierce since he moved there in 1977. He is familiar with the Oculina Bank and had some great fishing trips before the area was closed. As a bottom fisherman, he is now limited to the area where he can fish. LaViola does not like closing areas to recreational fishing. He favors trip limits and quotas for commercial fishing instead. He thinks that Oculina Bank should be open to recreational bottom fishing, if the concern is to protect the coral, since typical recreational fishers would not anchor there. In this interview, LaViola also discusses his personal fishing history, the types of fish he catches, the equipment he uses, and how he decides where to fish