Our fishing days are numbered...2 sources cited.

[Reel Fanatic]

Source: The Associated Content (March 9, 2010)

The Obama administration is considering new environmental rules that would, in effect ban recreational fishing in the United States, according to ESPN. This move is apparently being contemplated
under pressure from environmental groups.

"The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.

"This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is "fluid" and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn't issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.

"That's a disappointment, but not really a surprise for fishing industry insiders who have negotiated for months with officials at the Council on Environmental Quality and bureaucrats on the task force. These angling advocates have come to suspect that public input into the process was a charade from the beginning."

The excuse for this contemplated ban is the notion that recreational fishing as well as commercial fishing is depleting the stock of fish in American waters. This notion is disputed by fishing groups, which fear not only that a ban would prohibit Americans from pursuing a traditional form of recreation, but also devastate the industry that supports recreational fishing. Angling groups maintain that there is no basis in science for an attempt to ban recreational fishing.

If the ban is ordered, it would likely come via executive order rather than an attempt to have Congress pass legislation. Various environmental groups are demanding that such an executive order be issued as soon as possible.

The idea that any president would contemplate arbitrarily banning a sport that millions of Americans enjoy, from young boys dropping lines at the local fishing hole, to adults struggling with Marlins on the high seas,
is just mind boggling. A potential ban on recreational fishing suggests that this administration is possessed by a myopic version of environmental ideology that transcends common sense. It also feels empowered to tell Americans what they can or cannot do at a whim.

If a ban on recreational fishing were to take hold, one would suspect that a ban on recreational hunting would not be far behind. Environmental groups have been trying to stop hunting for decades and now seem to have an administration willing to do their bidding.

There will almost certainly be a pushback against these plans. To paraphrase the president himself, Americans have traditionally clung to their fishing rods as much as they do their guns and their God. The writer Norman Mclean wrote a story, 'A River Runs Through It', that explored the spiritual aspects of fly fishing. The story was made into a film by Robert Redford.

Incidentally, one of the most famous anglers in the United States is a former vice president named Dick Cheney. So far Cheney has not commented on the proposed ban on recreational fishing. When he does, the effects should be interesting to behold.

Sources: Culled out: Obama administration will accept no more public input for federal fishery strategy, Robert Montgomery, ESPN Outdoors, March 8th, 2010

A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Norman Mclean, University of Chicago Press, 2001

Source: The News and Observer (Feb 24, 2010)

By SANANDA SAHOO - McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON -- Fishermen, anglers, charter and party boat captains and marine business owners from coast to coast gathered here to demand changes in fisheries law that they say is putting them out of work.

This year and next, endangered coastal fishing grounds in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are to be closed to allow depleted fish species to recover from overfishing. The closures could be as long as 10 years.

"A lot of coastal communities across the United States have had severe negative economic impacts from the excessive regulations," says Pam Anderson, the operations manager at the Capt. Anderson Marina in Panama City Beach in Florida. "Folks can't carry on."
Quantcast

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, which enforces the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, introduced annual catch limits, closed some areas to fishing to stop overfishing and intend to close others. While the no-fishing areas represent only 1 percent of the total U.S. waters, the closures mean a loss of jobs and revenue for local economies.

While fishing still is allowed in the Gulf of Mexico, a region of the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to North Carolina was closed initially to fishing from Jan. 4 to June 2 to allow stocks of red snapper to replenish. The period can be extended for another six-month period.

Fishermen fear long replenishment periods will have severe impact on the commercial and recreational fishing industry.

"At least a thousand jobs in Fort Lauderdale will be lost this year," said Bob Jones, director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association in Tallahassee, Fla. "The economic impact will be far beyond fishing industry." Local economies, which rely on recreational fishermen, also will be hit by the fishing restrictions.

Kevin McDonald, a recreational fisherman from Pennsylvania who came to the rally, said he stopped going to his usual haunt in North Carolina after similar federal regulations kicked in three years ago. He used to spend around $3,000 in each trip on housing, food and equipment rental.

Federal fishery experts said that in the long run, the closures and the resulting rebound in the number of fish help the industry.

"It is much more financially stable and lucrative to the fishing industries," said Monica Allen, a spokeswoman for NOAA's Fisheries Service.

The Atlantic sea scallop - usually found off New Jersey and Massachusetts - was overfished in 1994 and the value of the catch was about $30 million that year. After being closed for seven years, Mid-Atlantic catch was significantly higher. "In 2006, the annual yield was $202 million," Allen said.

At the protest rally, the fishermen, who had assembled under the flag of United We Fish, also said NOAA was basing its closure decisions on flawed data. They contend that the fish count is actually higher than NOAA's estimate.

For example, NOAA says that red snapper and black grouper in the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Atlantic are overfished.

Anderson disputes that assessment.

"There are more red snappers in the waters than in 30 to 40 years," Anderson said of the Gulf.

Some fishermen say there are other reasons for depletion of fish stocks. Duncan Maclean operates a Pacific salmon trawler out of the Half Moon Bay area, south of San Francisco. The bay has been closed to salmon fishermen because of overfishing for two years.

Maclean said the low fish population is due to toxic agricultural runoff and municipal treatment plants that kill small fish in the bay, which is a breeding place for some species.

"There is a 100 percent unemployment in fishing industries in the area," said Maclean, who is also an adviser to the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The annual loss to California's economy from combined commercial and recreational salmon harvests are around $1.4 billion a year in recent years, according to a report from Florida-based Southwick Associates. The area also saw the loss of thousands of jobs, Maclean said, including those of equipment manufacturers, equipment and fish wholesalers, retailers, commercial charter boats and river guides.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., sought congressional review Tuesday of the federal government's restrictions on commercial, recreational and charter fishing in Florida.

Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., stressed at the rally that jobs were her priority and that deadlines set by the act were arbitrary. "Flexibility will allow fishing stocks to rebuild and help fishing industry to thrive," she said. Hagan supports a bipartisan effort to amend the act but indicated that balancing environmental and economic concerns might be more difficult.

The fishing communities know that, too. "It is in our best interests to rebuild the stock but we must also keep jobs," Anderson said. "We must keep the boats running and the fish available for customers to want to come."

[Reel Fanatic]

March 9, 2010

American Sportfishing Association Policy Alert

Tell the White House That the New National Policy for the Ocean, Coasts and Great Lakes Must Safeguard Recreational Fishing

For more information, contact Gordon Robertson, vice president and Government Affairs lead, 703.519.9691 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting**************703.519.9691******end_of_the_skype_highlighting, x237, or Patty Doerr, Ocean Resource Policy director, 703.519.9691, x244.

Your input is needed to ensure that this new national policy does not restrict people from enjoying saltwater and freshwater recreational fishing.



Within the next 30 – 60 days, the Obama Administration is planning to issue a final report, and possibly other management guidance, intended to govern the management of the nation’s oceans, coastal areas and Great Lakes. The plan originated in June 2009, when President Obama created the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. The Task Force, led by the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), was charged with developing a national policy for conserving and managing the United States ocean territory and the Great Lakes. The policy will govern ocean and Great Lakes resource management and coordinate efforts among the many federal, state and local agencies that oversee a significant portion of our nation’s waters.



The White House is in the final stages of developing the final report, which must balance sustainable uses with ocean and Great Lakes conservation. It is important that the administration recognizes and promotes the economic and conservation contributions of outdoor recreation, including recreational fishing and boating. Without such recognition, decisions made under this national oceans and Great Lakes policy could be used to close saltwater and freshwater recreational fishing areas.



Anglers and boaters are the original stewards of our environment. If you take us off the water, this country will lose a vital element in the conservation of our fisheries resources. Outdoor recreation is a part of our way of life and we need to ensure that it remains an option for all Americas.



Click here or visit www.keepamericafishing.org to send a letter to President Obama and other key policy makers urging the Task Force to include recreational fishing and boating in the national policy. When you send this letter to President Obama, it will automatically be sent to your Members of Congress.



Make sure your voice is heard so that anglers' and boaters’ conservation, economic and social contributions are recognized as a key component of the policy.



--

ASA Communications

American Sportfishing Association

225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 420

Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 519-9691) ex. 222

asacomm@asafishing.org

[BarryTurano]

letter sent

[marine4003]

Think health care reform caused a stink..Try closing down our right to fish...DC will burn to the ground. Friggin Nazi's

[Reel Fanatic]

People, if you give a damn about fishing and enjoying your time on the water you need to speak up and not be so complaisant. If you think this will go away by itself people, you're dead wrong. We have been given a place to make ourselves heard and no one is taking advantage of it! Go to this section, find your state, and tell your story of how this impending closure will affect you, your family, your friends, the coastal community you frequent, and the livelihoods that will forever be destroyed.
http://www.sportfishermen.com/board/f501/

If you think our lawmakers are going to automatically be thinking about our concerns, you're dead wrong. They have their hands full with this socialized medicine crap.

Be heard or take up gardening because hunting WILL be next once they take away our access to the water!

[mvsusaf]

Fellow members: Think of the billions of dollars we put in the economy. Does anyone believe that any government would put that kind of a hole ia any economy?

Just think about the amount of sales tax revenues on the sale of boats, outboards, tackle, bait and whatever else is associated with recreational fishing that states would lose. They just couldn't afford it and it isn't going to happen.

They are crying wolf!

[blckbart]

As an avid sportfisherman, I am seriously concerned by the reports that have surfaced as they relate to the proposals from the Inter-agency Ocean Policy Task Force. I would consider any Representative who agrees with the agency's findings in direct contradiction to my values and not worthy of my vote.

While I was not able to make it to Washington for the march: I do fish;I DO VOTE but only for those who share my values.

I believe that all sportsman in PA/DE would feel the same, I know this one does.

Hopefully, you an your colleagues can exert the proper amount of influence to ensure that a reasonable/scientific resolution can be had without removing liberties such as fishing.

Thank you for your time.

Vince

[Andaman Andy]

If this goes though i wonder how many new charter operations will open in Panama, CR, etc.

[blckbart]

Statement from Eric Schwaab, NOAA's Assistant Administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service

The Ocean Policy Task Force has not recommended a ban on recreational fishing.

The draft reports by the Ocean Policy Task Force do not contain a zoning map and do not establish any restrictions on recreational fishing, nor make any judgments about whether one ocean activity or use is better than another. Instead, the reports set up a policy and framework for effectively managing the many sustainable uses of the ocean while upholding our responsibility to be stewards of our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes.

As a member of the task force, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, has said, and I echo her on this, that saltwater recreational fishing is vital to this nation and NOAA is committed to building a strong partnership with America's saltwater anglers to ensure that Americans have opportunities to fish sustainably for generations to come.

Saltwater recreational fishing matters to me on a personal level as a recreational fisherman, it matters to millions of Americans who enjoy this great sport and it matters to our economy. Our most recent economic report shows it supports a half million jobs and generates $82 billion in sales each year.

NOAA is committed to adopting policies that will ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to enjoy the great tradition of recreational fishing.

[30' PURSUIT]

THE BOTTOM LINE, IN MY OPINION, IS THIS. WE NEED TO GET RID OF OBAMA AND THE IDIOT LAWMAKERS WHO ARE NOW IN OFFICE!!!!!!!!!!!!! ELECTION TIME IS COMING. MAKE SURE YOU VOTE. LOSING THE RIGHT TO VOTE MAY BE NEXT ON THE LIST.