The reason they won't fix this is $$$$. Not real life money, but gil.

Economic control, pure and simple. We are manufacturing items and therefore money out of thin air when we gather. Unlike crafting which is constrained by other materials, the only constraint they can put on gatherers are timers.

Same reason FFXI had skeletons on the ferries that people fished on. You could make a loooooooot of money on those ferries. So they'd periodically make it difficult or impossible to fish by spawning the Sea Horror on top of you, forcing you to use Sneak or Silent Oils to not end up dead.