Here goes another fish closed by MS Lubchenco
Florida-no Grouper
just got off the phone with an old friend.he charters in the keys.as of jan. 1 no grouper for 4 months.they already took away the red snapper,now grouper.what is next for them.he is from n.j. and i told him about our situation with the winter flounder and weakfish.it was always my plan to semi retire in the keys and charter part time.i guess i should make new plans.wish i could here some good news for a change.if they mess with the stripers i quit!!:mad:
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Captain Sal Cursi
Hoping the work of Bob Pond will inspire others
Here's a little more about Bob and the things he was involved in:
Stripers Forever members - some of you may have read about the recent passing of Bob Pond of Attleboro, MA, the creator of the Atom plug. We can quickly count at least half of Stripers Forever's board who were members of the now defunct Stripers Unlimited organization which Bob Pond founded. **** Russell, author of Striper Wars, was an old friend of Bob's and consulted him while he wrote that book. **** sent us these words about Bob Pond to share with our membership.
"The passing of Bob Pond at 92 is a great loss, for he was the true pioneer of striped bass conservation. Without Bob's sounding the alarm about the striper population in the mid-1960s, long before anyone else thought there was a problem, this magnificent fish would likely have disappeared from Atlantic coastal waters. After creating the legendary Atom plug used with success by so many anglers, Bob devoted his life to preserving striped bass for future generations. It is our job now to carry his legacy forward. Thank you, Bob Pond, and may you rest in peace. - **** Russell."
We at Stripers Forever share those sentiments
Effectiveness of different strategies
Effectiveness of different strategies
Many times guys will ask me: "Well, ya know, how can I be certain that my letter will make a difference? won't it just get thrown away, or read by an aide?"
Those are good questions, and valid. There are times when it may seem not as productive to write letters, IMO if you want the attention of politicians here are the ways to do it, from the most effective to the least:
1. Granting, or withholding, campaign contributions.
2. Lobbyist contact attempts and meetings by lobbyists who represent a specific constituent group.
3. Personal protests and demonstrations. Nothing is more visually impressive than an organized protest. Politicians know they bring news coverage, and don't want any negative press connected with their names.
4. Q&A sessions where a politician is exposed to public questions. Politicians are very responsive to any public meeting they attend where they see a good number of citizens (ie potential voters) are galvanized for or against a particular issue.
5. Letter writing campaigns. Politicians know they have to pay attention if the volume is high. There are several categories within this:
a) Hand written letters - hand written letters are usually more effective, because almost no one does this anymore. If legible, carefully worded, and not too long, (that leaves me out!! :laugh:) these have the best chance of getting read by the actual politician. Only the best of the best letters have a chance of reaching this point.
b) Form letters or postcards - effective, but usually only to calculate the sheer number of voters that are pissed off about an issue.
6. E-mail campaigns and online petitions. Although it's easier for our generation to do this, the truth is most politicians don't read their e-mails. How can you expect them to if they get thousands of them? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...know%20why.gif I would say if anyone wants to do this, if you don't have time to participate in any of the ways above, by all means you should send one. It can't hurt.
But also realize it's one of the least effective strategically. There's no consistent way to prove if a politician ever got or had the chance to read your e-mail, no matter how passionate it may sound.
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If you don't have the time, resources, or energy to get physically involved, that's OK. You can't expect everyone to feel the same way you do on any given issue. That's one of the reasons you'll notice here while this year I'll be trying to promote C&R more, I don't ever think it's fair to shove those views down someone's throat. :argue:
I like to eat fish I catch at times, and don't want anyone else to preach to me that I shouldn't. I'm sure many of you feel the same way.
So C&R, just like joining an organization and supporting them, should be a personal, voluntary choice. On the other hand, if someone does nothing to stand up for their fishing rights in any way, then they would not have any grounds to complain when those rights are arbitrarily taken away. :learn:
Also, if you really don't have the time to get involved, you can help to make a difference by contributing to the organization whose vision most fits yours.
Please realize I'm not nesessarily pitching here for you so send money to the JCAA, RFA, SSFFF or whatever organization we're talking about at the moment.
These are all personal choices, whether we give something or not. I merely wanted to offer those who were concerned, an optional choice.
Why writing a letter isn't always the best strategic move
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DarkSkies
Effectiveness of different strategies
6.
E-mail campaigns and online petitions. Although it's easier for our generation to do this, the truth is most politicians don't read their e-mails. How can you expect them to if they get thousands of them?
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...know%20why.gif I would say if anyone wants to do this, if you don't have time to participate in any of the ways above, by all means you should send one. It can't hurt.
But also realize it's one of the least effective strategically. There's no consistent way to prove if a politician ever got or had the chance to read your e-mail, no matter how passionate it may sound.
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Also, if you really don't have the time to get involved, you can help to make a difference by contributing to the organization whose vision most fits yours.
Please realize I'm not nesessarily pitching here for you so send money to the JCAA, RFA, SSFFF or whatever organization we're talking about at the moment.
These are all personal choices, whether we give something or not. I merely wanted to offer those who were concerned, an optional choice.
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A member here sent a letter to NOAA. The response he got back in return shows that his opinion was discounted and minimized. He got a standard form letter, which may indicate his letter was never even read at all. :don't know why:
This is a further push to get you people involved and support fishermen PACS like the RFA. They get the responses and results that we can't get individually. Meanwhile, there is a push for the new bunker bill, for guys to write to their congresssmen, etc. If you're tempted to write such a letter, first ask yourself if it will get read at all? :huh:
**************
The Letter:
Dear Mr. Schwab -
Thank you for holding the recent Saltwater Anglers Recreational Fishing Summit. I understand that NMFS is prepared to recognize the need for different management measures and fairer allocations concerning fish species that are important to the recreational angling community. We could start with striped bass on the Atlantic coast.
NMFS reps to the ASMFC have been at best allocation neutral in spite of studies that clearly show the maximum public benefit would come from a total allocation to the recreational community. Additionally, NMFS reps have not recognized the need for more conservative management of striped bass and now the great success story of the striper's recovery is more than threatened. Recreational catches have declined over 50 percent annually in the last few years, and there are no good year classes in the wings. Meanwhile, commercial catches have continued without reduced quotas and large illegal commercial catches have also been verified.
Please direct your representatives to strongly support decreased fishing mortality for striped bass and to safeguard the already declining recreational share of this resource."
thank you
The Response:
Thank you for taking the time to write in with your thoughts. I thought that the recent summit was a very productive meeting. We are evaluating that input and identifying an action agenda to build off of the ideas expressed at the summit.
Thank you for your email expressing concern for the status of the Atlantic striped bass stock. Striped bass management has been a great success in restoring one of the East coast’s most popular fisheries. At the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) recent meeting, NOAA Fisheries Service expressed concern about ASMFC taking action that could lead to increased mortality with striped bass. The ASMFC will be taking the draft Addendum to public hearings, giving you an opportunity to make your comments known on the management of this important fishery.
As you know, the Exclusive Economic Zone (3 miles offshore to 200 miles) remains closed, as a conservation measure, to commercial and recreational fishing for striped bass. We take our management responsibilities seriously and continue to work closely with state and Federal partners to ensure compliance with fishery regulations. Please also be assured that NOAA Fisheries Service will base any future decisions on striped bass management on the best available science. Again, thank you for your concerns and I look forward to working with you in sustaining America’s living marine resources.
Sincerely,
Eric C. Schwaab
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries