8. Representative D'Amico: (Representing the Recs)
"I support this bill. The state of Texas had redfish declared a gamefish. Therefore, this action in Massachusetts is not unprecedented. It brought substantially more tourist dollars into the state after they did this.
Value comparisons:
The dollar value of striped bass to this state from recreational fishing is 48x the amount we receive from Commercial fishing. That is a significant difference, and a value we would continue to receive and possibly have increased as a result of passing this bill."
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Sidebar: Article mentioning the passage of the redfish gamefish bill in Texas, and the subsequent results:
http://www.lsonews.com/20071023218/P...-red-drum.html
President George W. Bush signs an Executive Order to protect striped bass and red drum
Written by Mark England Tuesday, 23 October 2007
President George W. Bush signs an Executive Order to protect the striped bass and red drum fish populations Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. President Bush is joined during the signing by, from left, Michael Nussman, president of American Sportfishing Association; Brad Burns, president of Stripers Forever; David Pfeifer, president of Shimano America Corp.; Walter Fondren, chairman of Coastal Conservation Association; U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez; U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland and U.S. Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne. White House photo by Eric Draper
Recreational anglers came up big Saturday when President George W. Bush signed an order banning the commercial harvesting of redfish and striped bass in federal waters.
While both species were already protected, a spokesman for the American Sportfishing Association said the order is more than window dressing. Gordon Robertson noted federal regulations as written were subject to change.
"With this order, they can never be changed," he said.
Robertson added, "It will be a huge benefit to the sportsman and the resource."
The Oct. 20th order doesn't prohibit the commercial sale of redfish and stripers produced by aquaculture. However, harvesters can't touch either species within the "Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States," or 200 miles beyond state waters.
In a radio address, Bush said he acted to "preserve our fisheries." "These two species were once abundant in American waters, but their stocks were overfished," Bush said.
Officials for the Coastal Conservation Association and Stripers Forever – both of which campaigned arduously for the – praised the conservation order.
"When CCA began to work on recovering red drum 30 years ago in Texas, we never imagined an event like this would ever be possible," said Chairman Walter W. Fondren III. "We owe a debt of gratitude to the president for recognizing the high value placed on these resources by the citizens of this country."
SF President Bradford Burns said the order represents Bush's realization that the game fish designation will lead to the best use of the two species.
"Socioeconomic studies show that the industry this fishery represents is many more times valuable than that represented by harvesting these same fish commercially," Burns said.
A Texas Parks and Wildlife official agreed.
“Recreational fishing is a $2 billion industry in Texas, while commercial fishing is a $100-200 million industry," said Larry McKinney, director of the Coastal Fisheries Division. "We’ve been stressing that for years.”
President George W. Bush is shown a fish caught by Melissa Fischer, left, by her husband, Chris Fischer, aboard a fishing boat Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007 off the coast of St. Michaels, Md., in the Chesapeake Bay, during a television interview with the Fischers, hosts of ESPN¹s Offshore Adventures. President Bush talked about his love of the outdoors and the Executive Order signed earlier in the day to protect striped bass and red drum fish species. White House photo by Eric Draper
News of Bush's order thrilled a Texas guide who specializes in fishing for redfish.
"It will really help us," said James Fox, who runs a guide service in Rockport. "It will stop all the commercial fishing for redfish."
Fox called the order "absolute protection" for redfish. McKinney noted that federal waters are where redfish are most at risk.
"That's where they reproduce and where they are always vulnerable," he said.
Redfish were declared a game fish in Texas waters in 1981.
"Following that, our stocks went up 100 percent," McKinney said.
In 1987, the commercial harvest of redfish was also banned in federal waters. The impact of the ban was dramatic. The commercial harvest of redfish dropped from 14 million pounds in 1986 to 22,000 pounds in 2006. Meanwhile, the recreational catch of redfish jumped from 3.5 million in 1986 to 9.8 million in 2006.
As far as striped bass, they're a scarce resource off the Texas coast -- given the dams found along most rivers that drain into the Gulf, although some have been caught in the Sabine Lake area in recent years.
Commercial harvesters reacted angrily to the order.
Bob Jones, executive director of Southeast Fisheries (a commercial fishing trade group based in Tallahassee, Fla.), noted the order came as the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council was trying to determine if the redfish stock could support a limited commercial harvest.
Jones called Bush's order an unprecedented resource grab.
"He gave all of the fish to the CCA," Jones told the Mobile Press-Register. "What he is doing is totally opposite from the process that has been in place with Magnuson-Stevens since 1976."
TPW's McKinney said the order came at an opportune time as pressure was building to open up redfish and striped bass to commercial harvesting.
"From our perspective, we hope this will keep that to a minimum," he said. "From an economic standpoint, you can't justify it. They're both far more valuable as a recreational resource than as a commercial resource."
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