Bad News For US Tuna Fishermen

[Captain Greg Sears]

I have Just attended a meeting with the Green Harbor Tuna Association. Rich Ruais from the Northeast Tuna Association was the guest speaker. Rich has been an advocate of the Tuna fishermen since 1991 when he attended his first ICAT meeting. he has been fighting the NMFS for years on their poor decision making when it comes to the quotas on Bluefin tuna. He informed us that at the last ICAT meeting our government officials where in favor of reducing the US quota and giving it to countries who do not have the same moral judgment when it comes to conservation. They have already set aside 15% of our quota to be used or possibly sold to a country who fills their quota with 30 Kilogram fish 64# or less than 50 inches. It has become apparent that our government is more concerned with giving political favors to other countries rather than protecting our own citizens. If the quota is reduced for not filling our quota we will also lose the difference in unfilled quota in 2011. This could mean a 50% or more reduction in our quota from today. Most of this reduction will be made in the General category which means instead of 500 metric tons of giants being caught it will be 500 tons of 64 pound fish caught by another country, do the math and you will see a large quantity of fish. We still have time to change this if we all band together to rally support from our Government on a Congressional and presidential level. Please make all the noise you can to tell your congressmen to not allow this transfer of quota to happen. We have worked to hard to rebuild our stocks to give it up to someone else. Tell them to increase the bag limits to allow us to fill our quota so we do not lose it.

Please support Rich Ruais in his efforts to retain our fishery and go to his website www.tunanews.org your donation to join the site is going to a good cause. But I do not think Rich should force people to donate it should be voluntary. Please express your opinion to him.
Thanks for your support
PS: the same thing is happening to our swordfish fishery

PSS; There is a Meeting with NMFS regarding this matter March 4th 2009 at 3pm at the Gloucester headquarters anyone who lives in the Northeast Should Attend this meeting.

[Deep C]

I feel your pain... I've been watching the same thing with sword quotas... We don't fill ours then they send it elsewhere then they let long liners back in the local waters here which is the "nursery" for "scientific research" which in turn ran the price down to where its not worth anybody's time to persue. Worse yet it has already visibly damaged our local stocks...

I have fought the NMFS tooth and nail. Several groups have and they just don't seem to even acknowledge us. I have moaned to my congressman and senator til I'm blue in the face and get nowhere... Nowhere until I switch direction a bit. NMFS is an agency with an abysmal track record. In fact I can't think of a positive outcome of any of their actions since inception.

So that has me focused on not fighting them. Rather getting rid of them... They are a drain on already shortfalled budget of NOAA and some prodding in the right direction there could raise a few eyebrows. If not rid of. At least back to what they were in place for. Commercial management, and get them out of the rec sector all together... They euserped power when nobody was looking. Time to get the voter back in to the game and back them right out of our world...

[Bluewater Sportfishing]

What I just read is complete B.S. not what you wrote but what the govt. is doing with the fish stocks. It is a true shame to give the other countries our quota just because we cant catch it...thats what the other countries are saying..right? "if you cant catch it give it to us we will catch it"...bullshit... keep the season open longer.. hell open it year round bet we catch the commercial qouta. This really pisses me off to no end, and with ICCAT at the rains what can be done? they dont listen......NMFS is a joke! Every other country is overfishing besides Canada, and is killing off the Bluefin, and we have to suffer? There is not much one man can do at this stage but a vast army of concerned fishermen, dealers, fish markets, hell the f-ing industry should be stepping up to the plate and putting pressure on those that are in charge to make a change! But no one does....why???? Why do we all ***** and moan like I am doing right now and nothing ever comes of it? why? because there is no one to lead, no one to come on the boards make a video of what is going on in the world of fishing and take charge....why? where are these people? step up so we can see you and join the fight...there are so many fishing related orginazations out there that for the most part you never hear from except when they want your money. you never hear how they are fighting the cause unless you donated some money..why?? is it a secret of the progress you are making or not making? Its time now, to get these people who talk to the right peole to step up and take charge! You want my support show yourself. talk to us about the fight your in with NMFS and ICCAT. Bring us into your world so WE feel like were are making the right move to make a change to have better fishing for years to come.

[Captain Greg Sears]

Don't give up hope rally together all we need is a revolution.

[chumslicker27]

I'm in
on the revolution

[Dogfish87]

down for what ever it takes... been grindin' everyaday tryin to fill it... all summer and winter.....aight much to it-lame

[Bluewater Sportfishing]

Don't give up hope rally together all we need is a revolution.

I agree and I'm in as well, but we need more then just a few guys that fish for the giants... we need the industry to step up and the way things are going....thats not gonna happen. I took a look at the website and I am gonna join but not yet...reason is one thing was strange on what he said...the part about MIT and they created a website thats top notch...um right here on sprtfishermen.com is where its at...if rich wants to get somthing going WORLDWIDE then get his ass here!!!!!!! If he comes here, makes a statment then I'm all in cause then I know he means business!!!

[Admin]

I have spoken to groups before and I always seemed to be ignored.

But I will say it here in this thread.

We have Fishermen and a lot of them.

I have offered for years to run a live scheduled web cam at a lot of Fishery meetings.

I was always saddened by the turn out , but if it was done live on SportFishermen I would imagine a lot of guys would get more involved in things like this.

So People need to know here is a platform to stand on.
Tell them to get involved and lets allow hundreds of thousands of people to get educated !

[Fishfinder]

It is a shame that ICCAT is just like the UN. Both organizations are intrusted to save and protect on a international field. Both are the most useless organtzations that have ever been constructed. Neither one have the teeth it takes to inforce any rules and regualtions. I think that both should be disband. All either one do is create controversy and have never corrected a problem. Unfortunately the bluefin tuna will still be decimated and killed whether we stop fishing on them or not! Until the Europeons and the Orential markets adhere to the ICCAT limits that have been imposed, nothing will save the bluefins! When purse seiners kill bluefins form 20 lbs. to 1000 lbs. by the thousands and don't release any, exceed their quots by thousands of tons, nothing will change! AS far as the seasons here in the US, I can't believe that the powers to be change the season to run from January 1 thru December 31st, yet close the season at the end of January and reopen it the first of June is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. This year our February season is problably going to be the best it has been in the last 15 years. We have a Quota system that the US has not come close to filling in the last 15 years, yet the NMF will close the season when there are plenty of bluefins close to the beach here is NC and when the market value is the highest that is has ever been, ever! This is our government officials at their best. When they are wanting to stimulate the economy and help people make more money, here is their chance to make a difference. But, do you think this will happen? I doubt it! Lobbist that have the NMF's ear should already be proding these represenatives to extend our season thru February an even March if the quote is not filled. They are still managing fishermen instead of the fisheries. It is a disgrace to the US fishermen that work very hard on the water to scratch out a living, to have this teremendous fisheries just a few miles off the beach and to have the government say sorry, you can't kill these fish now, we would rather you wait till June when the prices are down and they are harder to access. The government can bail out the big organizations full of dishonest bankers and businessmen that they know are screwing the general public, but they won't let an honest fisherman try and make a few dollars when the dollars and tuna are available.

Everyone has one, and this is just my opinion!

Capt. Joe Shute[/QUOTE]

I have mentioned this in the past. We can either work together to try and solve this outragous and very stupid bad judgment of how to regulate a fisheries or we can go back to just catch and release fishing for the bluefins, that is if they don't try and outlaw that as well. Why would any saine person give our quota that the US, one of the only countrys that has actually tried to conserve populations of bluefins consider giving any part of our quota to the worthless nations that done give a damn about the future of the bluefins, only about how many they can kill today only! I really believe that only way that we are going to continue to be able to harvest bluefins is to drop out of the international community that doesn't give a damn about this fisheries, and do away with the NMF control that can not manage this fisheries only manage fishermen! If we continue to go along with these idiots, we can kiss our bluefin good bye!

Capt. Joe Shute

[Deep C]

Admin is a 1000% correct... We have, he has , the consumate platform right here to launch from... I've sat through a few meetings at NMFS level and nothing like people might imagine. I would love nothing more than our people here to see how screwed up their game is first hand. For that matter I would love them to open their eyes and see our reactions first hand.
Once in a while you see actions by them halted or at least held up while looking for more public input.
Our probles is that once we get the temporary injunctions, we seem to sit back on our laurels as if it is some kind of victory. Hell no, we need to stay right at their throat. We as a breed of sprtsmen can no longet afford to be appathetic and just sit back and take it...
Revolution? Damn right... This country was founded on it and its needed again...