If you can't make the march on Washington

[finchaser]

You can still support the cause by signing the petition. If you are going sign it anyway. Takes only 30 seconds, sign it and be heard. Remember this is for your right to fish doesn't matter what you fish for or where you fish from.

Thanks


http://fs16.formsite.com/FixMagnusonNow/form793561462/ (http://fs16.formsite.com/FixMagnusonNow/form793561462/)

[gjb1969]

its done we all need to do this going to dc or not :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Doublerunner]

In reading the letter it appears to me that this is designed to increase the take on the striped bass fishery by all means....rec and commercial

[DarkSkies]

Doublerunner, here's the letter and the link to it. I C&P it here for all to see. Let's look at it paragraph by paragraph and see where we see language that might concern us, and have a dialogue about it.

http://www.fishnet-usa.com/FlexibilityLetter.pdf

[page1]


The Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009, legislation introduced by Congressman
Pallone (HR 1584) with its companion legislation (S 1255) introduced by Senator Schumer, that you are cosponsoring
will be a critical step in the process of allowing independent commercial, recreational and
party/charter fishermen and women to once again resume meaningful roles in the fisheries management
process; roles that are now effectively denied them as the result of a well-funded and highly-coordinated
campaign that has permeated the highest levels of fisheries management at NOAA.

Over the last two decades, multi-billion dollar philanthropic foundations with strong corporate connections
have influenced the inclusion of arbitrarily restrictive language in our nation’s primary fisheries law, the
Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The implementation of this language has
caused the loss of thousands of domestic fishing businesses and tens of thousands of jobs. The resulting
arbitrary rebuilding timelines and targets have inflicted untold and unnecessary economic loss and hardship
on the fishing families that are still holding on. Working through ENGOs and employing their own cadre of
advocacy-scientists, these foundations have also underwritten a handful of recreational and commercial
fishing organizations to further their apparent goals of marginalizing or destroying the surviving domestic
commercial and recreational fishing fleet, commercial and recreational boat manufacturers, tackle retailers
and all other sectors of the fishing-dependent marine industry in the United States.

Additionally they have used their seemingly endless financial resources to gain control of print and broadcast
media to the extent that the fishermen are now believed to be incapable of objectively participating in the
fisheries management process unless they have the approval of those foundations or their paid minions. This
is a 180 degree departure from the intent of the Magnuson Act as originally passed, which specifically
included fishermen in the management process to balance the lack of precision in fisheries science with their


[Page 2]


on-the-water experience. That imprecision is still and will always be with us and independent fishermen’s
participation in the management process should be as well.

Lost in the spin is the fact that most US fisheries are recovered, sustainable and growing. Lost too are fishing
opportunities for hundreds of thousands of US fishermen, and the ability of millions of American consumers
to enjoy locally-caught seafood.

Fisheries that have endured for generations are being arbitrarily restricted and in some cases drastically
restructured. Dramatic rebuilding in many of our fisheries demonstrates such restructuring isn’t necessary,
nor is the human suffering and economic devastation that accompanies it warranted.

The increase in our seafood trade deficit, which went from $6 billion in 2000 to $9 billion in 2008 and is still
rising, is in the largest part due to the unnecessarily harsh and inflexible management regime that is now
afflicting our fishermen.

We thank you for your perception and for your continuing support and we urge other Legislators to sign on
as co-sponsors of HR 1584 and S 1255 as well. In addition, we urge you to support Congressman Mica’s bill
(HR 3307) which would improve the red snapper assessment and provide much needed relief to the fishing
communities of the South Atlantic.

[Doublerunner]

Lost in the spin is the fact that most US fisheries are recovered, sustainable and growing. Lost too are fishing
opportunities for hundreds of thousands of US fishermen, and the ability of millions of American consumers
to enjoy locally-caught seafood.

[Jackbass]

"Fisheries that have endured for generations are being arbitrarily restricted and in some cases drastically restructured. Dramatic rebuilding in many of our fisheries demonstrates such restructuring isn’t necessary, nor is the human suffering and economic devastation that accompanies it warranted."

I can not agree whole heartedly with this statement.

I agree 100 percent with the first three paragraphs.

[DarkSkies]

Lost in the spin is the fact that most US fisheries are recovered, sustainable and growing. Lost too are fishing
opportunities for hundreds of thousands of US fishermen, and the ability of millions of American consumers
to enjoy locally-caught seafood.

That paragraph caught my eye as well Doublerunner. I think the confusion for me was I didn't know of they were referring to Striped bass or not in that broad statement. When I was in MA for the gamefish meeting, a lot of people over and over said that the striped bass fishery WAS sustainable at present, while seeming to discount the fact that NMFS figures showed the total bass landings had been declining since 2006.

However, I spoke with Finchaser about it, and his take on it was that this letter wasn't about the striped bass at all, but about the seabass, fluke, and other fish commonly known as groundfish that most people go on a party boat to fish for.

So I was confused as well, now it seems a little clearer. Maybe Finchaser can explain it better than me to make sure the original intent is understood by all who may read that letter.

[Doublerunner]

Bottom line is....well...the bottom line. Commercials will fish it until it's gone and then move on to the next. Why? because they know there will be a demand and if one species is gone another one will become it's replacement.

Money has to be taken out of the equation. Money is at the root of politicians, commercials, and charter/party boats. However, if the striper is given gamefish status then the charter boats will still make money taking out clients for catch and release trips and might have more clients if the fish grow in size and numbers

As I read between the lines of this letter I see it's intent to paint a picture of a perfectly healthy ocean and dying of starvation fishermen who need the fish to save their life. The whole letter revolves around money and has nothing to do with conservation or keeping the stock from a collapse. Everyone talks about their rights. What rights? We are invading fish in their habitat, we don't have the right to wipe them out to line our pockets

And there are many other pressures that are affecting fish as well such as dead zones, pollution, mycobacteriosis, etc. We've got a long ways to go to have a healthy ocean

[DarkSkies]

This is from Nils Stolpe of United We Fish, communications director of the Garden State Seafood Association. Sent in by Finchaser.

I was at first hesitant about promoting anything to do with commercial fishing. People who have seen my posts and threads against the abuses and shady parts of commercial fishing know where I stand.

Going to Washington, I was forced to look at things differently when I realized the ratio there of Comms to Recs was at least 60/40, if not more, in favor of the Comms.

That means without the support of the Comms, there would have only been 1000-1500 people at the rally. This is a sad level of participartion indeed if we accept the fact there are millions of recreational anglers who fish both US coasts.

Therefore I realized that to get anything done politically, we need the support of the Comms. If anyone is angry at this alliance, I would urge you as a Rec to get the word out that Recs need to be involved in matters that concern their fishing future, in greater numbers.

In the meantime, it seems Nils is gaining ground a valued spokesperson for the fight to preserve fishermens' rights, and I have to accept that if I want to see progress made.

I will still continue to expose shady practices and maneuvers of the Comms. I will still continue to oppose their fight to open the EEZ to striped bass with my very last breath, because the idea doesn't have merit.




Here's his most recent article:


Subject: Fix Magnuson Rally/Petition update


First off, thank you very much for signing the Fix Magnuson Now
petition. You are in the company of over 4,700 other fishermen and folks
who work in fishing-dependent businesses who also signed. If you were
with us in Washington, thanks as well. The estimated 4,000 to 5,000 of
us that were there made a serious impression on Capitol Hill, with the
media, and with the anti-fishing movement as well. It was the largest
group of fishermen united behind a single cause that anyone we've been
dealing with had ever seen.

The United We Fish website (http://unitedwefish.com/) has links to some
of the media coverage of the rally. Among the best is the spot that the
World Fishing Network did
(http://www.wfn.tv/news/video.php?video=402773), but all of the coverage
was favorable.

I did a column, Fishermen Find Their Voice, for my regular series
Another Perspective. In it I address the reaction of the new National
Marine Fisheries Service head, Eric Schwaab, to the rally. The column is
available at http://www.fishnet-usa.com/Rally_2010.pdf.

At this point The rally/petition organizers are determining on what our
strategy will be for going forward. Most obviously, we will be
continuing to support Congressman Pallone's and Senator Schumer;s
flexibility legislation. This is our foundation, but it isn't our
ultimate goal. While we haven't yet finalized our plans, be assured that
we will be continuing and expanding the campaign, and we're going to be
depending on you and on the folks that you enlist to keep the ball rolling.

You can check on the United We Fish website (url above), the
Recreational Fishing Alliance website (http://www.joinrfa.org/) or the
Fix Magnuson Now blog (http://www.fixmagnusonnow.blogspot.com/) to stay
up to date on our progress. We will be sending regular email updates as
well.

For anyone who wishes to be added to this list, have them send an email
to nilsstolpe@fishnet-usa.com (http://us.mc450.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=nilsstolpe@fishnet-usa.com) with "Subscribe" in the subject line. To
have your email address removed from the list, reply to this message
with "Remove" in the subject line.

Again, thank you very much for your participation. With you, your
friends, your associates and with people in fishing dependent businesses
who you contact, we will get the job done.

Keep on fishing,
Nils Stolpe