"I'm getting tired of catching no fish, " said Robert Strazi, a 23-year-old mackerel enthusiast, as he cast his line in vain off Pensacola Beach's 1, 471-foot fishing pier, flanked by just two other anglers.

WSJ: Gulf's Fishing-for-Fun Culture Also Takes Hit

Tree branches bending down to the water hide the turn of the river on both sides, and what you see is a lake with wooded hills, a few little houses on the far shore, a pier with a tiny man fishing.

NEWYORKER: Getting Closer

Across the lake was a pier, where some boys were fishing.

NEWYORKER: History of a Disturbance

Its working harbour sees trawlers returning from fishing trips on a daily basis and the West Pier is lined with fishmongers and seafood restaurants like the Oar House.

BBC: Day trips from Dublin