EDITOR'S LETTER

As we stick a fork in 2009, I think most of us would agree that this has not been a particularly kind year for Lowcountry anglers. This year’s been enough to make anyone crusty, cranky and cynical. … But we’re fishermen. Our passion and the nature of our pursuit compel us toward optimism.

Last month, I had the good fortune to visit the Island House on Johns Island, where a group of devoted and optimistic offshore anglers was throwing an oyster roast fundraiser. For more than a year, they’ve been staging such events to raise money to buy, transport and sink a big ship about 50 miles southeast of Charleston. If they succeed, the new South Carolina Memorial Reef would be a place where families could scatter the cremated remains of their loved ones, a place where the memories of the lost could mingle with the passion of the living.

But such a reef would be so much more.

As planned, a large ship of some sort would be sunk in a Marine Protected Area. Though bottom-fishing would not be allowed, anglers could troll for billfish, dolphin, tuna and other open-ocean predators. And that’s the point. Because if you sink a 150-plus-foot ship in 300 feet of water, you’d better believe the big-game fishing will be good. Good enough to reenergize the offshore fleet. Good enough to bring quite a few more tourist dollars into town. Good enough, maybe, to solidify Charleston’s reputation as one of the country’s finest fishing destinations.

A wreck that big could also establish important new habitat for grouper and snapper. Because bottom-fishing would not be allowed, this offshore sanctuary could help stocks recover that much quicker and stave off even further fishing restrictions.

All they need to do is raise enough money and find a big enough ship.

As I wandered around the oyster roast and talked to people about their hopes and dreams for the reef, I kept hearing a common refrain: “Maybe we can get the Yorktown!”

Now that’s optimism. I suspect the aircraft carrier will be sitting in the pluff mud at Patriot’s Point for some time to come. I suspect taxpayers eventually will pony up the millions of dollars needed for never-ending repairs and upkeep.

But you know what? I hope these determined anglers catch a break and get the aged aircraft carrier. I hope they clean her up, tow her out and lay her to rest in the deep blue of the open ocean. It would be a fitting and honorable end for the ship — a monument to optimism.