The tiny group that fought the Goliath of the seas and won!

That's how I felt after talking to Ron Sickler, one of the original members of the JCAA whom I met this weekend.

As a guy who has gotten myself involved in fishermen access issues from Hatteras to Mass, I honestly have gotten discouraged at times. There are many other committed anglers like me working for the future of fishing. I am only one small voice. The only difference with me is I don't give up once I believe in something.

However, I've had my moments of doubt. In fighting for access at Brookhaven, there were times when I began to get sick of all the driving up there, to protest a closure at a place I will probably never fish. In that case, you might say I wouldn't directly benefit, so why bother? That's a reasonable question to ask. In fact so many fishermen ask themselves that question "Why bother?" to me it has become a credo of apathy that indicates why it is so easy for politicians and environmentalists to put forth campaigns that encroach on our rights.....

We are so apatheric that even though we like to rant on the internet, for the most part a good number of fishermen will not protest unless its affecting them directly, for the fishing they're going to do in the next 24 hours.

Don't get me wrong, there are hundreds of guys out there who WILL fight for fishermens rights, have done way more than I have, and will not let us be pushed around. But it's the same 100 guys you see at every meeting, the same 100 guys who are always passing the petitions around and posting the online threads trying to raise awareness.

Yes, we are busy with our busy lives, and we do have priorities. What happens in the near future if we lose some of the things that are our rights, and they are turned into priveleges that not everyone can enjoy? What would you say to increasing your involvement then?

I didn't mean to go off on a participation tirade, so I will just say that after hearing the story from Ron Sickler, I was re-energized in commitment to fight for what is right for fishermen.

I'm less likely to get discouraged when I hear that Ron, Finchaser, Joe Melillo, and the JCAA fought for 11 years!
before they had any measure of success.