ROLL CALL - January 24 at the Public Hearing in New Bern NC

[Procastinator]

I will see you guys there.

[seapower]

This "conquer and divide" system is nothing new. I personally will not belong to any organization or group that speak's for only one sector (ie; recreational). Until WE ALL realiz that this is about US a whole and use OUR collective resources, THEY will keep taking it all away, one piece at a time. It's really that simple! Frank

[gottaflylee]

Sorry guys, fighting the flu and once again I have been put on another round a antibiotics. I will be there in spirit for you.

[LuckyLady]

Man Lee you are having a bad year with the colds and flu

[bisquit]

Anybody go?

[Foul Hook'd]

Yep, I'm still trying to make sense of the paperwork I was handed at the check in table. One word USELESS! Nice how they hide behind the M/S Act requires us to do this, even though we have zero data to base it on???

Foul Hook'd

[Reel life]

I think we need to get together on this and do a march on washington

[Captain Fish]

Here is some info about what is going on here in SC


Grand Strand fishermen take fight against catch limits to Charleston

by Joel Allen WPDE

Grand Strand fishermen are taking their fight against a catch limits to North Charleston Wednesday.

About 40 men left Wednesday morning to attend one of several public hearings held by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Charter fishing boat owners and commercial fishermen say that bag limits on black sea bass, scheduled to begin next month and continue until June first, will cripple their earnings.

"That's our primary fish that we fish for during that time of year," said Keith Logan, owner of Feedin' Frenzy Charters of Little River.

Logan says he doesn't believe the Fishery Council's count of black bass or other species are accurate or that catch limits are needed to prevent overfishing of those species.

"I've seen some of the best fishing we've seen in the last couple years, since I've been fishing over 30 years in this area," Logan says.

Charter fisherman Fred Rourk of Pawleys Island serves on the South Carolina Recreational Fishing Alliance. He's among those fighting the catch limits, though he doesn't fish for black sea bass or the other offshore species. Rourk says the bag limits are just the beginning of an effort by animal rights activists to end fishing entirely.

"You're seeing incremental pieces, the snapper, the black bass and then it's going to be the dolphins and the wahoo and the king mackerel and the Spanish, right on down to the red fish and the trout and the flounder that I catch."

The limits on black sea bass are part of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act hat went into effect several years ago and fishermen say there's not much they can do to stop it now. But they hope to prevent proposed limits on other popular species, like wahoo, cobia and mahi.

The manager of a fishing supply outlet says fishermen are holding back on purchasing equipment and supplies for the season ahead, because they're not sure what the future holds.

"Until we have some hard and fast answers on what's really going to happen, I think there's a lot of people up in the air about the 2011 fishing season," said Chris Burrows of West Marine in North Myrtle Beach.

That uncertainty led the founder of a popular local fishing tournament to cancel it this year. Ron McManus, who started the Dixie Chicken Fishing Funament 12 years ago as a fundraiser for an artificial reef foundation, says the proposed catch limits make the competition not worth putting on this year.

"This year just seems to be a time we better take back a step and look to see where we are," McManus said.


Keith Logan says federal fishery regulators aren't taking into account how the proposed limits will impact coastal fishermen and related industries, like marinas and boat builders.

"Especially along the coastal areas, it's really going to put a hurt on the economy for everybody," Logan says.

Following Wednesday's meeting in North Charleston, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council plans to meet in Pooler, GA on Thursday. Three more hearings are being held in Florida next week in Jacksonville, Cocoa Beach and Key Largo.

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=572151


Fishermen speak out about catch limit controversy
Link to video: http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/139098...it-controversy

Proposed catch limits may hurt Grand Strand economy
Link to Video: http://www2.scnow.com/news/grand-str...ho-ar-1387900/

Area fishermen voice anger over catch limits; Wahoo, dolphin may follow bass
Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/01/27...#ixzz1CHfSbCWX


Fish limit hobbles Myrtle Beach area charters
http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/01/25...-charters.html

[Capt,Ray]

Dag gone bro. I hate to hear you got the flu,I had my bout a couple months ago.I went to the meeting like I have been the last who knows how many years.Its the same ol,ask them a question and they give you a deer in the head lights look.Like Ive always said the NMFS could not manage a ten gallon aquarium.It was good to see you there Roger,We have been trying to work with this crowd a long time and they just keep taking away.The 40 fathom closure is total BS too,and they know it.The current and weather does a pretty good job managing it.Theres alot of days a 6 pound window weight wont stay on the bottom,you just cant fish it when the current is screaming.Heck we know more about the moon than we do our oceans.Lee Im going down tommorow,cause yours truly is speaking at the saltwatersportsman semniar on sat..Going to meet the adam and eve crowd and have supper Ill give you a call when I get there.