Watch: The Gulf of America rolling gently on Destin’s shore
Watch the Gulf of America rolling onto Destin’s shore.
Local fishing captains in Destin, Florida, home to the state’s largest fishing fleet, have mixed reactions to the name change.Some captains agree with the change, citing patriotism and the fact that the United States borders most of the Gulf.Others say the name change is insignificant and won’t affect their livelihoods.A few captains expressed amusement at tourists referring to the Gulf as “the ocean.”
Destin’s home to the largest fishing fleet in the state of Florida, and that means lots of local captains and boat owners make their livelihoods on the massive saltwater body to the south.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. So, what do local captains have to say about the name change?
“We have always called it the Gulf of America, just candidly with friends,” said Capt. Preston Muller of the charter boat Home Grown.
“The Gulf is where we spend most of our time and there is a sense of pride that goes along with it. The entire community here in Destin has a massive respect not only for our pristine beaches, but keeping the Gulf healthy,” Muller said.
Muller said they work to keep the Gulf healthy by building new reefs for fish habitats and having a voice in the management of fisheries through avenues such as the Destin Charter Boat Association, which has nearly 100 members.
“It makes me proud to call our back yard the Gulf of America,” Muller said. “It’s now how it should have been named since day one.”
Going forward, Muller said he will advertise his trips exclusively “Gulf of America” and “proud to do so.”
Capt. Gary Jarvis of the LaBella and former mayor of Destin said renaming the Gulf “makes perfect sense.”
“The reason it was renamed was to circumvent executive orders from the previous administration,” Jarvis said.
He said Trump did it for “legitimate reasons.”
“He wasn’t doing it to be cute,” Jarvis said. “He had to change the name of the area to be able to execute that executive order.
“I’ve always wondered why it was called the Gulf of Mexico,” Jarvis said, noting the shoreline.
“It pales in comparison … most of the coastline of Mexico is in the Pacific or Caribbean Sea, not in the Gulf.”
Capt. Robert Hill likes the idea of the name change as well.
“I love it … it’s our Gulf,” said Hill, who has been fishing out of Destin for four decades.
“We’ve got way more coastline than Mexico does. It was common sense … it had to be done,” Hill said.
Capt. Kelly Windes agrees.
“I think it is as it should be,” said Windes, who has fished the Gulf for more than five decades. “The president, he’s a smart cookie.
“And it goes with the ‘America first’ theory,” he said.
Capt. Mike Dates of the First Shot charter boat said he has no problem with renaming it.
“As a matter of fact, like I told my customers yesterday, ‘I am not quite sure how today’s fishing trip is gonna go because this is my first trip in the Gulf of America.’ We all just laughed,” Dates said.
Dates has been fishing out of Destin for the past 20 years and rarely calls it the Gulf of Mexico.
“It’s always Gulf or deep-sea fishing,” Dates said.
However, Dates did say. “I think this is the kind of patriotism, is exactly what this country needs.”
“I love it being called the Gulf of America, but I was fine with it being the Gulf of Mexico,” said Mary Ann Windes, who owns a couple of party boats in Destin with her husband, Kelly.
“The only thing that gives me pause is when tourists call it ‘the ocean,’” Windes said.
She said when they advertise, they simply say, “fishing in the Gulf.”
Lindley Staples Ward, owner of the Mighty Fine charter boat, gets a chuckle out of folks referring to it as the ocean as well.
“We just call it the Gulf,” Ward said. “Call it whatever you like, just as long as the fish keep biting.”
Capt. Alex Hare of the charter boat Silver King said he has fished the Gulf most of his life and will continue to do so.
“I am blessed to get to do this for a living and the name change has honestly not affected what I do for a living,” Hare said. “It’s just a name.”
Hare said when he advertises fishing trips, “I never really say the Gulf of Mexico. I usually just say Destin.”
Capt. Cliff Atwell of the charter boat Reel Grace admits it is going to be hard to say Gulf of America after saying Gulf of Mexico.
“I do know that America borders most of the water,” Atwell said.
“I’m good with Gulf of America or Gulf of Mexico. I don’t think it will change my life any. I mean it didn’t change when they took Aunt Jemima off the syrup bottle,” said the 60-year-old Atwell.
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Publish date : 2025-02-18 00:40:00
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