With just 3 days until the second historic fishermen's rally in Washington DC, on March 21 Keep Fishermen Fishing rally at our nation's capital.

Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally in DC - March 21, 2012 Update


We still have 20 seats on the Bus going to the Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally in DC - March 21, 2012 Give me a call if you can and want to ride the bus to SC with us. We will have Media and a TV show crew on the bus with us. We need to fill the bus...



If you have sign up already Please email me back to confirm that you are still going on the bus. Also if other fishermen are riding the bus with your group. The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commence needs there names too.

We will meet at 1:00am at the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. 1200 N. Oak Street .. Myrtle Beach, SC29577, SC. The bus will leave at 1:30am.



The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce announced that they will be sponsoring a bus to leave Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. 1200 N. Oak Street .. Myrtle Beach, SC29577, SC at 1:30 a.m. on March 21. According to Capt. Keith Logan with the RFA-SC chapter, the bus is free but will be limited to the first 56 people who call to sign up for this historic road trip. "We have a great relationship with the folks at the Little River, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach chambers of commerce, and they''ve been very active in fighting to protect the rights of our fishermen," Logan said. "The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring this particular bus on March 21, which means it''''s a free ride for those fishermen who want to climb onboard for the trip to the rally in Washington." South Carolina coastal are encouraged to call Capt. Keith Logan as soon as possible at 843-907-0064 to reserve a spot (get more at Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally in DC - March 21, 2012 ).

Thank you

Sincerely,
Captain Keith Logan

With just 3 days until the second historic fishermen's rally in Washington DC, on March 21 Keep Fishermen Fishing rally at our nation's capital.

Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally in DC - March 21, 2012 Update


We still have 20 seats on the Bus going to the Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally in DC - March 21, 2012 Give me a call if you can and want to ride the bus to SC with us. We will have Media and a TV show crew on the bus with us. We need to fill the bus...



If you have sign up already Please email me back to confirm that you are still going on the bus. Also if other fishermen are riding the bus with your group. The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commence needs there names too.

We will meet at 1:00am at the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. 1200 N. Oak Street .. Myrtle Beach, SC29577, SC. The bus will leave at 1:30am.



The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce announced that they will be sponsoring a bus to leave Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. 1200 N. Oak Street .. Myrtle Beach, SC29577, SC at 1:30 a.m. on March 21. According to Capt. Keith Logan with the RFA-SC chapter, the bus is free but will be limited to the first 56 people who call to sign up for this historic road trip. "We have a great relationship with the folks at the Little River, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach chambers of commerce, and they''ve been very active in fighting to protect the rights of our fishermen," Logan said. "The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring this particular bus on March 21, which means it''''s a free ride for those fishermen who want to climb onboard for the trip to the rally in Washington." South Carolina coastal are encouraged to call Capt. Keith Logan as soon as possible at 843-907-0064 to reserve a spot (get more at Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally in DC - March 21, 2012 ).

Thank you

Sincerely,
Captain Keith Logan

With just 20 days until the second historic fishermen's rally in Washington DC, transportation efforts along are shaping up as two more buses have been added to ferry coastal anglers to and from the March 21 Keep Fishermen Fishing rally at our nation's capital, with fishermen in coastal South Carolina and Northern New Jersey upping the ante in the attendance race to bring the current total number of buses to 13.

3-21-12 Rally Closes In

According to the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), by the day of the first United We Fish rally in 2010, there were approximately 40 buses packed with protesters bound for Washington DC. "We didn't start really filling up those seats and ordering new buses until just a couple of weeks before the 2010 rally, so we're entering the homestretch right now," said RFA's Jim Hutchinson, Jr.

The March 21, 2012 rally is being held at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC beginning at noon. Similar to the 2010 event at the same location, the Keep Fishermen Fishing rally is historic in that it unites two sectors of fishermen which have traditionally been at odds. According to RFA executive director Jim Donofrio, disagreements between the recreational and commercial fishing sectors will always exist.

"I don't expect that our groups will ever fully resolve our conflicts regarding gear type or stock allocation, but the political reality is that coastal fishermen are stronger whenever we can work together under a common goal, which in this case is in support of responsible Magnuson reform," Donofrio said, adding that more than 30 different organizations from both the recreational and commercial fishing sectors have come together to organize the rally.

"Regardless of whether one fishes for sport, for money or simply to put food on the table, all coastal fishermen share a common danger in the form of those who would prefer to see us both off the water indefinitely," Donofrio said. "We're essentially crossing party lines on March 21 for the sake of open access, under the law, for all Americans, to healthy and sustainable coastal fisheries, which is exactly what we hope to see from Congress in the next few months in terms of this important coastal jobs issue," he added.

FLORIDA
Evidence of the united call for fisheries reform is very apparent along Florida's Gulf Coast, where Raffield Fisheries is sponsoring two buses set to depart Panama City, FL on March 20, returning early morning on March 22. The bus ride is offered free to any fishermen - recreational or commercial - able to make the long trip north to Washington DC for the event. A host of Panama City area fishermen are expected to make the trip, as Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL) is expected to give a rousing speech at Upper Senate Park on March 21 to those constituents taking the time to attend the event. "As an avid angler myself, I look forward to joining thousands of recreational and commercial fishermen from across America on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol for this year's 'Keep Fishermen Fishing' rally," said Rep. Southerland who encouraged fishermen to "remain united in our fight to secure fair and open access to our seas."

Those interested in hopping aboard one of the Florida buses are encouraged to call RFA board member and chairman of the National Association of Charterboat Operators (NACO), Capt. Bob Zales, II at 850-814-8001 or RFA-FL's 'Forgotten Coast Chapter' Chair Tom Adams at 850-381-1313. Organizers there are asking attendees to respond before March 7.

SOUTH CAROLINA
This week, the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce announced that they will be sponsoring a bus to leave Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. 1200 N. Oak Street .. Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, SC at 1:30 a.m. on March 21. According to Capt. Keith Logan with the RFA-SC chapter, the bus is free but will be limited to the first 56 people who call to sign up for this historic road trip. "We have a great relationship with the folks at the Little River, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach chambers of commerce, and they've been very active in fighting to protect the rights of our fishermen," Logan said. "The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring this particular bus on March 21, which means it's a free ride for those fishermen who want to climb onboard for the trip to the rally in Washington." South Carolina coastal are encouraged to call Capt. Keith Logan as soon as possible at 843-907-0064 to reserve a spot (get more at www.southcarolina-offshore.com).

Several weeks ago, Tailwalker Marine of Georgetown, SC announced that they were sponsoring half the $3,600 cost for the round-trip price of getting fishermen to and from Washington DC on March 21. Anglers in the Georgetown, SC area who are looking to spend the day rallying at Upper Senate Park on behalf of improved recreational fishing access on South Atlantic fisheries can hop aboard the Tailwalker Marine bus for just $35 per person. For details call 843-527-2495 or 800-768-2495.

NORTH CAROLINA
Capt. Brant McMullan of Ocean Isle Fishing Center out of Ocean Isle Beach, NC is sponsoring a bus to transport area fishermen to the 2012 rally, same as they had done in 2010. "Everyone met at the OIFC the morning of the rally at 4:30 a.m. and by noon we were all marching on Washington," said McMullan, adding that now the rally is on again "it is time to band together to show our continued resolve to correct fishery mismanagement." The bus will leave OIFC at 4:30 a.m. on March 21 with a cost of just $35 per person which will help cover bus rental. It is expected to return that same day around 11 p.m., leaving Washington DC not long after the rally finishes up around 3 p.m. "It is a long day, but every voice is needed to make a difference and it is one heck of an experience," McMullan said. Email captbrant@oifc.com or call Ocean Isle Fishing Center at 910-575-FISH.

NEW JERSEY
Organizers from the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund (SSFFF) now have five buses set to leave New Jersey on the morning of the March 21 rally, with two leaving from Bogan's Boat Basin in Brielle, two in South Jersey set to depart from the Wildwood Fishing Center, and one additional bus added this week for departure from and return to Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina. SSFFF which was instrumental in helping correct the fatal errors contained in recent NOAA Fisheries' summer flounder assessment models is also supportive of responsible reform of the Magnuson Stevens Act to keep fishermen fishing. The coalition partners at SSFFF are sponsoring the full cost of each of the five New Jersey buses, with a small fee of $10 per person is being collected for a beverage, snack and the bus driver's gratuity. New Jersey anglers looking to hop on a bus can purchase tickets at www.ssfff.net.

NEW YORK
Buses are now filling up with support from the party boat fleet from Point Lookout and Sheepshead Bay. The captains and crew of the Marilyn Jean, Brooklyn VI and Ocean Eagle, with support from FishingUnited.com, have one bus set to leave Pier Number 6 along Emmons Avenue in Brooklyn at 6 a.m. sharp on March 21. Those fishermen in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island interested in hopping aboard one of the New York City area buses should contact Capt. Tony Santella at 917-560-8224. The Point Lookout bus has been donated by Capt. Tony Joseph of the FV Stirs, and also includes bagels and other breakfast goodies for the trip down including bottle water. All that is being asked is a donation being given for the seat, but again, the seats have been donated.

"All the seats have mostly been furnished, now it's up to the fishing community to fill those seats so that we can get Congress to move on important amendments to our federal fisheries law designed to keep us fishing in the years ahead," said RFA's Jim Hutchinson who added that the national rally in DC also boasts the organizational support of the New York Sportfishing Federation, New York Fishing Tackle Trades Association and United Boatmen. "We have several New York legislators who have expressed interest in addressing the fleet when they arrive in Washington on March 21, what we need now are the rally supporters to show them that we fish and we vote."

"KEEP FISHERMEN FISHING RALLY" SET FOR MARCH 21, 2012 FROM NOON TO 3:00 PM BE THERE!!!

U.S. Coastal Fishermen to Rally in DC March 21

“Keep Fishermen Fishing” Organizers Unite to Fix Federal Fisheries Law


In another historic show of solidarity, U.S. recreational and commercial fishermen will gather beside the U.S. Capitol on
March 21, 2012 in an organized demonstration supporting the amendment of the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation
and Management Act (Magnuson Act). Signed into law in 1976, in recent years the Act has been transformed from its original
intent, to conserve our nation’s fish and support our nation’s fishermen, into a weapon employed by a handful of megafoundations
and the anti-fishing ENGOs they support to drive fishermen off the water.

A rally on February 24, 2010, under a United We Fish™ banner, brought some 5,000 recreational, commercial and
party/charter vessel owners and folks in associated businesses from all over the country to Washington. More than two dozen
members of the Senate and the House of Representatives took time out from their busy schedules to address the crowd.
The March 21 rally is being billed as Keep Fishermen Fishing, and once again will unite the commercial, and recreational
sectors under one common message: fair access to the seas.

The initial Washington rally was a monumental success that helped put the plight of America’s coastal fisherman and those in
related businesses in the public eye. However, a continuous stream of regulatory requirements are leading to unnecessary and
unacceptable restrictions in demonstrably sustainable fisheries.

As a consequence, the American public is being denied access to the food and fun of this tremendous natural resource.
Most U.S. fisheries are in better shape biologically than they’ve been for a generation or more. In fact, last year NOAA
Fisheries scientists announced that 84% of U.S. fish stocks studied for fishing activity were not experiencing overfishing as of
2010. However, despite the heavy sacrifices on the part of coastal fishermen, the same federal agency in charge of managing
the resource has been using a broken law to mete out broken promises upon these constituents to ratchet down regulations as
fisheries continue to rebuild.

In December 2011, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing in which several pieces of legislation to reform
Magnuson were heard and debated, providing ample evidence that coastal communities are suffering from the weight of over
burdensome regulation due to the rigid statutory definitions written into the federal fisheries law.

As was the case in 2010, we are anticipating foundation-funded ENGO lobbying disguised as a grass-roots fishermen’s effort
aimed at marginalizing our Keep Fishermen Fishing rally. The message that they will be relaying to Congress is that truly
conservation-minded recreational, commercial and party/charter fishermen fully support the Magnuson Act as it is today and
oppose any efforts to amendment it. The truly conservation-minded fishermen won’t be those walking the halls of Congress
trying to sell their anti-fishing message because of foundation/ENGO funding, they’ll be the people who are there on their own
dime and who are committed to returning to a federal fisheries management system that recognizes that they and the fishing
communities they support are as important as the fish are.

Final details of the 2012 Keep Fishermen Fishing rally are being put in place, including transportation from coastal
communities across the country.

For information on how you can get involved in the national rally to help Keep Fishermen Fishing, call 888-564-6732. For
more information on the rally as it becomes available, including bus sign-up information and details from the 2010 rally, visit
www.keepfishermenfishing.com. You can also stay up to date with developments via “Keep Fishermen Fishing” on Facebook
and we will soon have a Twitter feed as well.

Link to more info as we get it for the Rally: http://southcarolina-offshore.com/ftopict-3118-.html

NOAA REQUESTS $54 MILLION TO REDUCE FISHING EFFORT

RFA Says Agency Seeking Congressional Aid to Destroy Fishing Communities


In a bold attempt to take control of our nation's coastal resources, NOAA Fisheries has asked Congress for an additional $54 million in funding for catch shares, while simultaneously turning their back on the agency's scientific deficiencies in managing marine fisheries.


While Atlantic and Gulf Coast fishermen and legislators have openly rallied in opposition to this particular takeover scheme, NOAA Fisheries, led by an agenda-driven ideology to reduce fishing participation, continues to run roughshod over coastal constituents in clear violation of legislative order.



Appearing before a House Resource Committee hearing on October 26th in Washington, Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) executive director Jim Donofrio blasted the NOAA administration for failing to adequately fund scientific efforts in coastal fisheries management. "NOAA claims they don't have enough money to do the stock assessments on the species they manage," Donofrio said in his official testimony, explaining how there are boats tied to the dock in coastal communities throughout the United States right now, unable to access healthy, rebuilt fisheries due to lack of science.



When the Magnuson Stevens Act was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate in 2006 and signed by President Bush in 2007, it required NOAA fisheries to overhaul their Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS) by a time-specific deadline of January 1, 2009. Donofrio said NOAA officials have publicly stated on several occasions that a new Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) has not yet been implemented, despite the requirements set forth by Congress.



"Right now we don't have a data collection program that Congress mandated in the 2007 reauthorization for marine recreational statistics, the new MRIP program," Donofrio told Congress in October, adding "they're still using the MRFSS data and they're shutting down fisheries based on the MRFSS data."



Despite the woeful lack of science and analytical data needed to properly manage fisheries, NOAA has apparently gone to key members of the House and Senate in asking for additional funds for catch share programs which by design cap fishing participation by trading away ownership of fish stocks to select groups and individuals. Earlier this year, NOAA's administration under the leadership of Dr. Jane Lubchenco had attempted to misappropriate several million dollars away from NOAA's scientific budget to allocate towards catch shares, a move which was stymied by an act of Congress.



In February, the House voted 259-159 to cut off funding for future catch share programs which would've opened the door to commodities trading of fishermen's catch allocations - or worse, a complete buy-out of angler access by preservationist groups. The bipartisan budget amendment tied to NOAA's proposed catch share funding was sponsored by Republican Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, as well as a pair of coastal Democrats in Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey.



"We've heard from Congressman Jones this week who says that NOAA is courting legislators, asking for more money for catch share programs," Donofrio said. "These are the same programs that have driven Massachusetts legislators to seek $21 million in directed economic relief from Washington to give to displaced fishermen, specifically because of these failed catch share policies enacted under the present NOAA administration."



A letter co-signed on October 31 by 19 bipartisan coastal members of the House of Representatives calls on ranking members of the House to ensure that language is included in the 2012 appropriations bill which would restrict the use of funds for development or approval of new catch share programs for any fishery under the jurisdiction of the New England, Mid Atlantic or South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils.



"The last thing the American government should be doing in these economic times is spending millions of taxpayer dollars to expand programs that will be put even more Americans out of work," the letter says, explaining that that is exactly what NOAA is attempting to do by requesting $54 million it its 2012 budget, "to accelerate implementation of new fisheries catch share programs across the U.S."



Donofrio said the RFA has already spoken to ranking members of the Senate who will be cosigning their support of the letter, and added that he and fellow fishermen will be reaching out to legislators in the Gulf of Mexico to rally support in opposition to catch share programs which take monies away from scientific efforts in that region.



"By commoditizing a public resource and placing share distinctions on individual fishes, what the catch share policy would do is give big corporations and wealthy non-profit groups the ability to buy up all the harvest for themselves, leaving individual anglers and coastal communities standing at the dock with nothing," Donofrio said. "This whole orchestrated effort by Dr. Lubchenco and her friends at Environmental Defense Fund is nothing more than a resource grab which will destroy our marine industry and take away access for millions of Americans."



"I can't fathom how Dr. Lubchenco can claim to support best available science when her Administration is asking Congress for money, not to improve stock assessments and data collection, but for coastal sharecropping schemes which will destroy our mom and pop businesses along the coast," Donofrio said.



(To see if your representative has signed visit www.joinrfa.org/press/CongressCatchShareLetter.pdf)



Find your Representative at www.house.gov/representatives and tell them, "fishermen need money for better science, NOT programs that will put captains, tackle shops and marinas out of business while forcing anglers off the water." Catch shares will only protect the fish by destroying fishermen...it will hand ownership of the resource over to the few, the privileged, the elite, the preservationists and the corporations!!!



JOIN RFA TODAY & HELP US SAY NO TO NOAA!
_________________

RFA CALLS ON FISHERMEN TO UNITE

Fluke & Snapper Closures Fan Flames Of Angler Discontent



Because of obsolete NOAA harvest statistics and questionable assessment data, summer flounder (fluke) fishermen will take another hit in 2012 - in turn, coastal fishermen are planning to hit back at Washington DC sometime later this winter!


A Northeast Fisheries Science Center report indicates that while the summer flounder stock was successfully rebuilt in 2010, angler harvest data compiled through the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS) and applied to NOAA assessment models predicts fishing mortality rate will be exceeded in 2011, once again causing statutory overfishing to occur. In addition to known flaws with the MRFSS data, independent scientists have also been critical of the assessment models used by the federal fisheries service.



Citing new findings, the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) warns that harvest limits originally recommended by council members for 2012 are actually too high and may need to be reduced. On top of recent reports from the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regional fishery management councils that sea bass and red snapper fisheries have also been closed to anglers due to flawed data, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) said they are moving forward with another rally in Washington DC later this winter like the one held during the winter of 2010.



"In conducting stock assessments, NOAA Fisheries is using recreational harvest data deemed fatally flawed and woefully inaccurate by the National Academy of Sciences, which is exactly why Congress told them to stop using MRFSS as of 2009," said Jim Donofrio, RFA's executive director. "Whether it's sea bass, red snapper or fluke, annual or semi-annual stock assessments don't mean squat when you're using illicit data and questionable models."



"Five years is long enough to wait for Congress to react, so if they're not coming to us then it looks like we'll be heading back to see them this winter," he added.



Reauthorized in 2006 by unanimous consent with support from 'green' groups like Pew Charitable Trusts and their Pew-funded affiliates including Marine Fish Conservation Network and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Magnuson Stevens Act calls for rigid rebuilding deadlines while incorporating annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures like catch shares to help ratchet down regulatory controls on fishermen.



"RFA has taken our lumps by some in the industry because we've been so openly vocal about the issues with Magnuson while also rallying for more accountability from our federal government, but who can sit back quietly while this injustice continues," Donofrio asked, adding "this is a jobs issue."



Last week, Donofrio appeared before a House Resource Committee hearing on behalf of America's coastal anglers, and specifically brought up the issue of NOAA's inattention to meeting requirements set forth by Congress. "We don't have a data collection program that Congress mandated in the 2007 reauthorization for marine recreational statistics, the new MRIP program, they're still using the MRFSS data and they're shutting down fisheries," Donofrio told committee members," adding "they told the judge we're not using MRFSS data anymore."



Two years ago, RFA brought a federal lawsuit against NOAA for closing the black sea bass fishery using data compiled through MRFSS. Based on the NOAA testimony, a federal judge determined that there would no future fishing closures based on MRFSS data given the fact that NOAA was no longer using MRFSS, rendering RFA's lawsuit moot. That's a concern which Donofrio and the RFA have specifically brought to the attention of Congress.



"NOAA's legal team essentially showed a copy of the Magnuson reauthorization of 2007 showing where Congress mandated that MRFSS be replaced as of January 1, 2009," Donofrio said. "While NOAA has yet to meet their congressional obligation three full seasons later, our recreational fishing community is being forced to adhere to a broken law enforced by an overzealous and contentious enforcement office."



Donofrio told House Resource Committee members that coastal businesses are having a bad enough time staying open in a down economy, but when combined with burdensome regulations based on hopelessly flawed harvest data, many recreational fishing professionals have been getting out of the business entirely. "They're disgusted with federal regulations that are not allowing them to fish on rebuilt stocks and NOAA's not doing a thing about it, what they want to do is add more layers of bureaucracy that costs more money when they're not spending the money to keep us fishing," Donofrio said.



In response to a question from Rep. Jon Runyan (R-NJ) Donofrio said issues experienced within the New Jersey congressman's home district were the same as those down in the southeastern United States and throughout the Gulf, "all the way down to Mr. Southerland's district," he added, referencing committee member Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL) who also took NOAA to task at the recent hearing. "We have people sitting at the dock can't catch red snapper because the stock assessments and the data that NOAA's been using is flawed, we're literally tripping over red snapper, tripping over them" Donofrio said.



Since 2007, RFA and their coastal allies have vocally pressed forth with support for legislation to reform the Magnuson Stevens Act to rewrite the fouled language which has allowed NOAA to shirk its responsibilities while punishing coastal fishing communities. Donofrio said it's been an uphill battle because of congressional gridlock and an industry divided. "A handful of legislators were led to believe that Magnuson was just fine back in 2006, but that's obviously not the case," Donofrio said.



According to MAFMC chairman Rick Robins, part of the problem with summer flounder is the fact that NOAA Fisheries is taking important scientific funding away from his council and shifting the spending up north. "The current situation is an unfortunate consequence resulting from the redirection of Science Center resources to New England groundfish," Robins said. While the MAFMC is in the process of scheduling meetings with the science and statistical committees to review the information before their December meetings, independent scientists including Brian Rothschild and Mark Maunder have openly challenged the data used by NOAA scientists in their assessments models.



"There are scientists in the field who have critical data with regard to summer flounder to challenge the government's unreasonable findings, but the only way to shake some sense into this government bureaucracy is through an act of Congress," Donofrio said. "Without a new benchmark assessment or peer review of the government data, there's no way for individual anglers and independent scientists to challenge the data," he said.



Donofrio said the best option for protecting the future of saltwater angling opportunities is to fix a broken law while securing legislative commitments to overhauling a big government bureaucracy which he says "has gone rogue" in the past 3-1/2 years. "Comprehensive reform of the law is the only choice right now, and the quicker the industry realizes that they've been hoodwinked by anti-fishing interests the quicker we can address our coastal access issues in front of Congress," he added.



"There are several different Magnuson reform bills in Congress right now, including the more comprehensive version in HR3061," Donofrio said, adding "what we need is get the whole suite of legislation into committee for review and debate so that we can get the law fixed now to protect jobs."





About Recreational Fishing Alliance
The Recreational Fishing Alliance is a national, grassroots political action organization representing recreational fishermen and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries issues. The RFA Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our Nation's saltwater fisheries. For more information, call 888-JOIN-RFA or visit www.joinrfa.org.

STOP FUNDING NEW CATCH SHARE PROGRAMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO NOW!!

The individuals, businesses, and associations listed below represent the true fishermen (commercial, recreational, and recreational charter) from the 5 Gulf of Mexico States of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Collectively, we represent many thousands of fishermen and we are unanimous in our opposition to further funding of any new Catch Share programs in the Gulf of Mexico.

The commercial fishing associations and seafood dealers listed here market 80% of the reef fish harvested in the Gulf. We are united in our request that new Catch Share Programs in the Gulf of Mexico be put on hold and that no further funding for new Catch Share programs be provided by Congress and/or NOAA/NMFS until a complete analysis of the effects of the current programs is completed.

Before we do more damage to the coastal communities of the Gulf we want to know what impacts Catch Share programs are having on Gulf of Mexico jobs, recreational charter boats, commercial fishing vessels, recreational anglers, seafood houses, industry infrastructure, and small industry-related support businesses. In Florida alone, recreational and commercial fishing accounted for $15.3 BILLION in sales for 2008.

In addition to the negative social and economic impacts on our coastal communities, the amount of discards and discard mortality created by these programs needs careful consideration. A comprehensive study of the social, scientific, and economic impacts of Catch Share programs is the prudent way to address this issue rather than a headlong rush to implement more of these programs to benefit a small class of fishermen.
You have heard from the Environmental Defense Fund, their K Street lawyers, and the few so called “commercial fishing associations” (paid for by EDF), that the Gulf should be exempted from any legislation that restricts funding for new Catch Share programs. EDF and their pseudo-associations represent fewer than 10% of the fishermen and an even smaller percentage of commercial seafood dealers from the Gulf.

These people do not speak for the multitude of fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico. Catch Share programs provide no benefit for the resource -- they serve only to make millionaires of a few and sharecroppers of the many, while reducing overall jobs, harming families, and negatively impacting coastal communities.

hare programs can be proven to provide benefits to the resource, to the majority of fishermen, to create jobs, and to enhance communities, they should be placed on hold with no new funding from Congress.

This position has not changed for the over 3,000 fishermen from across the country who traveled to Washington, DC for the United We Fish rally held on February 24, 2010. This was the largest gathering of commercial, recreational charter, and recreational fishermen ever assembled for one United event.

u to support zero funding for new Catch Share programs in the Gulf of Mexico in FY 2012

Contact Bob Zales by email at bobzales@att.net
Contact Bob Spaeth by email at rspaeth8@aol.com

You must give permission for your name, company name and/or fishing vessel name to be included on this petition. Congress will be receiving this petition when the Congress reconvenes during September 2011.

NAME:
COMPANY:
FISHING VESSEL:
EMAIL ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
DATE:

NMFS' PLAN FOR ALASKA MEANS GUIDED ANGLERS PAY

RFA Says NMFS Catch Sharing Plan Shows Gross Inequity in Coastal Fisheries

August 25, 2011 - Imagine catching the halibut of a lifetime on a charter trip in Alaska, only to be told by the captain that you'll have to pay an extra service charge to keep it!

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing a new "Catch Sharing Plan" (CSP) to manage allocations in Alaska's Pacific halibut fishery. The plan will give guided recreational anglers their first hard allocation. Up to now, they have been managed under a recommended guideline harvest level.

The "Catch Sharing Plan" is anything but catch sharing, and many Alaska fishing guides are looking at it more like robbery. Bycatch and wastage in the commercial fleet surpasses all the fish taken by recreational anglers in Alaska. The CSP takes 30% of guided angler allocation and assigns it to commercial halibut fishermen.

Is this NMFS' answer to sustainable fisheries, to allocate more fish to commercial fishermen who they seem to see as better stewards of the resource?

According to Jim Martin, West Coast Regional Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), the CSP would mean a 50% reduction in bag limits for guided anglers in Southcentral Alaska, requiring recreational fishermen to have to buy fish from charter operators who lease this privilege from the commercial sector.

"If they drop it to one fish per angler in Homer, you would be able to keep a second halibut but only if you were willing to pay for it, but that's up to the commercial fisherman to decide if he's willing to lease it to the charter operator you fish with," Martin said. "A lot of these commercial guys pushed the individual fishing quota concept as beneficial to the fish, when it many ways it really only benefitted a few lucky fishermen."

Public comments on NMFS' official Catch Sharing Plan are due by September 6, 2011. According to the Alaska Charter Association (ACA), if the CSP is implemented in 2012, it will mean a 50% reduction in bag limits for Southcentral guided anglers; from two fish per day to one fish per day. Southeast Alaska guided anglers have been under a one fish rule for the past three years. This year they are under a one fish rule with a maximum size of 37 inches. This will mean a potential reduction to a 32-inch fish for them. Southcentral is heading down the same road.

ACA has formulated different plans for the different areas. As over 40% of the guided anglers in Southcentral are resident Alaskans, these anglers must be informed about how the CSP will affect their angling opportunities for halibut and how they can prevent this from happening. To this end, ACA has retained the services of RFA's Jim Martin who will be assisting ACA with a public information campaign aimed at Southcentral anglers.

"Most of these anglers in Southeast Alaska are out-of-state visitors visiting the halibut capital of the world, so it's going to be hard to get them involved," Martin said. "This is the worst thing that could happen to our recreational fishing community here, it's unfair treatment and it could prove devastating for our guides, lodges and outfitters."

For this reason, ACA's focus in Southeast will be on the charter operators. They will need to realize that their involvement is important in fighting the implementation of the CSP and critical in insuring the livelihood of their businesses. The message needs to go out to NMFS on just how damaging the CSP will be, not only for charter businesses, but for all the local Southeast economies that depend on tourism dollars.

Download a copy of the Alaska Charter Association letter to sign and send to NMFS before September 6 at www.joinrfa.org/press/AlaskaCharterLetter.pdf

Here's a quote from Richard Gaines who points out that Lubchenco's first choice to head the NMFS was recently found guilty of misreporting landings and cheating on that state's catch share system.

They fine him and then guess what? They put the money toward the push for implementing catch shares!

On top of that, she did it after Congress shut down funding to the any such programs as part of the federal budget agreement.



"Lubchenco's brazen lack of accountability showed as much as ever last week when her one-time finalist for the job of heading the National Marine Fisheries Service, former Alaska fishermen Arne Fuglvog, was socked with a $150,00 fine and a 10-month prison sentence for — surprise, surprise — misreporting landings and cheating on that state's catch share system.

Yet, of the $150,000 poor Arne has to cough up, $100,000 of it is being steered to the quasi-public National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Federal officials are saying that's because they want to target where the harm was done to the fishery — and that would be fine, if it were true.

But in reality, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is the organization Lubchenco has already tapped for money to expand her catch share push — after Congress shut down funding to the any such programs as part of the federal budget agreement.

It is that type of defiance that shows Lubchenco's utter contempt of Congress and the corruption of the fishery management system.

And that must be fixed by our congressional lawmakers, not by a federal court judge."

Scientist calls to end rule of NOAA

By Richard Gaines Staff Writer

Influential marine scientist Brian Rothschild has charged NOAA with adopting an "unnecessarily hard-line," wrong, wasteful and job-destroying interpretation of Congress' intent for managing America's fisheries.

Finding no accountability, "no master plan" or will to align policy more closely with what was intended and no hope for redress from the judiciary, Rothschild — who is based at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and is one of New England's most respected fishing advocates — proposed that Congress create an ad hoc commission to restructure fisheries management in the Northeast.

Rothschild issued his blunt judgments about the performance of the government and the courts in the aftermath of a June ruling by a federal judge in Boston that upheld the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's catch share policy management system, which data shows is bringing about a consolidation of the industry and forcing out small, independent boats and businesses.

Rothschild's full commentary is reprinted in full on Page 8 of today's Times; it was also published in the Wednesday Standard-Times of New Bedford, which is adjacent to Rothschild's Dartmouth base.

A venerable waterman, scientist and linchpin between the Massachusetts fishing industry, academia and the political system, Rothschild's words are read carefully across the country.

Rothschild, who turns 77 Sunday, was NOAA's senior scientist during the 1970s, when the Magnuson-Stevens Act was rolled out. He was also the much-preferred choice of the industry and many members of Congress to head the National Marine Fisheries Service, but Jane Lubchenco, President Obama's choice to lead NOAA in 2009, instead went for Maryland state wildlife official Eric Schwaab, never explaining her strange choice.

In his op-ed column, Rothschild absolved Judge Rya Zobel of much responsibility for affirming the government's groundfishery policies, writing that she was "working within the bounds of standards established in administrative law."

Rothschild wrote that the two cases handled by Zobel, brought by the cities of Gloucester and New Bedford and fishermen from every Atlantic coast state from Maine through North Carolina, showed that the judicial system does not always have the wherewithal to align the "executive's implementation of laws with congressional intent."

Certainly, Rothschild wrote, Congress did not intend NOAA to create a system that wastes 100,000 tons of fish a year worth $300 million at the dock, or $1.2 billion to the economy, while eliminating "hundreds if not thousands of jobs." And it did not intend to disregard the economic and social impacts, unfairly reward some groups at the expense of others and "ignore valid scientific findings and suppress discussion regarding the magnitude of fish stocks."

Congressman John Tierney and Barney Frank, both Democrats, and Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, agreed with Rothschild's view of NOAA, as did the consumer group, Food & Water Watch, which added that "Congress needs to step in and put an end to the agency's abuse of any discretion that it has ..."

NOAA did not respond to a request for comment.

"NOAA continues to send a clear message that it is unwilling to make the system fair for our fishermen," Tierney said in a prepared statement to the Times. "I agree with Mr. Rothschild, that 'protecting fishing jobs is a priority' and that Congress must take every available action to ensure that our fishing communities are not driven out of business by NOAA's inflexible interpretation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

"I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to protect our local fishing economy and push for a change in leadership at NOAA," added Tierney, whose district includes Gloucester, all of Cape Ann and much of the North Shore.

In a telephone interview, Frank, who represents New Bedford and seeks Rothschild's counsel on fisheries issues, said he believes Congress was moving closer to a bipartisan consensus to rein in NOAA by the limiting statutory changes to the Atlantic and Gulf regions, where grievances are greatest.

He pointed to the most recent bill filed to constrain NOAA, submitted by three Republicans representatives, Walter Jones of North Carolina, John Runyan of New Jersey and Ileana Ros-Leitenen of Florida.

A political skirmish earlier this year produced a titular limit to expansions of Obama fisheries philosophy in the Atlantic and Gulf through September — though none were scheduled . But a pitched battle is pending for the next spending cycle, when a number of new programs based on the same privatization and commodification principles are scheduled.

Allied with the Obama administration are the Environmental Defense Fund and its prime funding foundations, including the $1.5 billion Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the $1.5 billion Walton Family Foundations Inc., many environmental groups and some fishing groups that depend on EDF and other foundation funding.

In his op-ed, Rothschild said he did not believe that NOAA has the "internal capability" to bring its policies into alignment with congressional intent.

"The organic basis for fisheries management needs to be changed," he wrote. "Congress needs to create an ad hoc commission that reports to Congress to restructure fisheries management in the northeast. In addition, the decade-long deterioration of fisheries management, the perceived lack of accountability, the absence of checks and balances, and the need for innovation needs oversight by a new entity: a National Fisheries Management Board."

Such a panel, he said, would be funded out of existing appropriations and operate analogous to the National Transportation Safety Board.

"Our delegation obviously plays a powerful role in putting legislation on the table," Rothschild wrote, adding that it often is diluted to win approval.

"Protecting fishing jobs is a priority," he wrote. "This should be a central theme in forthcoming hearings."

Brown coordinated a June hearing of a subcommittee that met in Faneuil Hall but was constrained by the nature of the panel. Since the spring, Sen. John Kerry has also been promising to organize a Senate subcommittee fact finding hearing.

Richard Gaines can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3464, or at rgaines@gloucestertimes.com.