Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 12 is my conversation with Captain Daniel Andrews, co-founder of Captains For Clean Water, the conservation organization he started with Capt. Chris Wittman to lead the charge to save the Everglades. Daniel was a guide working 280 days a year until runoff from the Caloosahatchee River shut down his area in peak season and put him out of work. Instead of waiting it out, he built a movement. We talk about water, the economics of fishing, and a fix that has been law since 2000.
Listen now: Megaphone · Spotify · YouTube.
Captain Daniel Andrews is a Florida fishing guide who co-founded Captains For Clean Water with Capt. Chris Wittman. He was guiding roughly 280 days a year when a major discharge event tied to the Caloosahatchee River destroyed his fishery during peak tourist season, which led him to launch the organization within days.
Captains For Clean Water is an environmental organization founded by Capt. Daniel Andrews and Capt. Chris Wittman that advances education, awareness, and scientifically supported solutions to restore and protect marine ecosystems and the Florida way of life. Its mission centers on Everglades restoration and clean water for future generations.
Fishing alone has roughly a 10 billion dollar annual economic impact on Florida, and the water crisis ripples into real estate values, tourism, restaurants, and hospitality. Daniel argues the cost of failing to fix the problem cannot really be calculated, which is why it affects every American, not just South Florida guides.
Daniel had seen smaller water-quality events before, but when runoff from the Caloosahatchee River forced him to cancel all his trips and put him completely out of work in the middle of peak season, he could no longer ignore it. He realized he had to act, and Captains For Clean Water was born within a few days.
Yes. Daniel explains that the solution does not need to be reinvented. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was passed in 2000, but very little has been done since. Captains For Clean Water works to keep the public educated and to stop policymakers from kicking the can down the road.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 12 with Captain Daniel Andrews is available on Megaphone, Spotify, YouTube, and the Tom Rowland Podcast feed. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I wanted Daniel on the show because he turned the worst thing that ever happened to his business into a movement. A lot of people complain about the water. Daniel co-founded an organization and started moving the needle. This could be the most important environmental stand we make in our lifetime, and he is one of the people actually doing the work. I wanted listeners to understand the problem clearly and to hear how one guide decided he could not stay quiet.
Press play in the player above to hear it.
Daniel was guiding 280 days a year when the discharges hit and he had to cancel everything in peak season. He walks through the moment he realized he could not ignore it any longer and how the organization came together within days. Hear how it started in the episode.
Daniel lays out the economics: fishing's roughly 10 billion dollar annual impact on Florida, plus real estate, tourism, and hospitality that all depend on clean water. He explains why the cost of inaction is incalculable. Listen to that section.
The fix already exists in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, passed in 2000. Daniel explains why so little has happened since and how Captains For Clean Water keeps pressure on policymakers. Press play in the YouTube player above for the full breakdown.
Daniel asks listeners to become members, join the email list, follow along, and get educated on the problem. He believes guides and anglers are the ones who can show people why this place is worth protecting. Worth hearing in full.
Listen to the full conversation: Megaphone · Spotify · YouTube.
What I took away from Daniel is that the people closest to the water are the ones who can save it. He lost a season and chose to build something instead of just being angry about it.
If you care about the Everglades, get familiar with Captains For Clean Water and find a way to support the work. Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 12 on Megaphone or Spotify.
Captain Daniel Andrews · Capt. Chris Wittman · Captains For Clean Water · Everglades · Caloosahatchee River · Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan · Tom Rowland (host)
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Captain Daniel Andrews is a Florida fishing guide and the co-founder, with Capt. Chris Wittman, of Captains For Clean Water, a conservation organization leading the charge to restore the Everglades. After runoff tied to the Caloosahatchee River wiped out his guiding season during peak tourist months, Andrews built an organization dedicated to advancing education, awareness, and scientifically supported solutions to protect Florida's marine ecosystems and way of life for future generations.
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