BPin' it: Destin Fishing fleet adjusting to new role as “Vessels of Opportunity”

DESTIN — Capt. Kirk Reynolds of the charter boat S.S. Enterprise would likely be making more money if his contract for BP’s Vessels of Opportunity program were activated.

But with millions of gallons of oil threatening the future of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, Reynolds is appreciative that he continues to do what he loves.

“I’m not going broke and I’m enjoying the fact that I get to fish,” Reynolds said. “I’m afraid that when it gets to where I can’t fish anymore, that it will be a long time before I get to fish again.

“I don’t like the thought of the 26 years I’ve been doing this coming to an end because of this oil spill.”

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There's plenty of big ones still coming in from those still charter fishing.

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As of Thursday, BP had received 1,210 contracts from Florida boat owners to participate in the Vessels of Opportunity program. Of those, 371 had been activated and were being chartered full-time by BP.

According to Panama City charter boat captains, the Vessels of Opportunity program pays boats 30 feet in length and shorter $1,200 a day; boats 30 to 45 feet make $1,500 a day; 45 to 65 feet receive $2,000; and boats longer than 65 feet receive $3,000 a day. BP also pays the boat’s mates $200 per eight-hour shift and for each boat’s fuel.

“There are different capabilities for different types of vessels,” said Hope Lanier, director of government and public relations for the southeast region for BP. “Some are pulling booms, some are just generally assisting with cleanups, others are being used to shuttle equipment and groceries and things like that back and forth out to other vessels deployed in the gulf.”

Okaloosa County currently has 145 boats in the program, followed by Santa Rosa County with 66 and Walton County with 29.

Scott Robson, president of the Destin Charter Boat Association and captain of the Phoenix, said about 90 to 95 percent of the Destin boats are currently working for BP. Like Reynolds, Robson has submitted a contract with BP but is one of just a handful of boats that has yet to be activated.

Once a boat is activated, they are essentially chartered by BP to run eight to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. While the number of people wanting to go fishing has dropped, those who are still taking fishing charters have remained busy since there are so few boats available.

“I wouldn’t be as busy as I am if not for all the other boats that are BPin’ because they’re not allowed to fish,” Reynolds added. “That does mean there is business for the few that are still fishing.”

Jason Mikel, captain of the charter boat Backlash, has been working for BP for a couple weeks now and says that although the money is good, he does miss fishing. Currently, his contract is open ended and he will continue to be valid as long as there is a need.

“It’s going good. I’m happy with it,” Mikel said. “Some of the guys were worried about getting paid, but everybody’s getting paid. It just took a little bit of time because everybody’s been overwhelmed. To me everything is going good.”