Link to more info: Final Rule to Remove the Snapper-Grouper Area Closure Implem

NOAA Eliminates the Proposed
Snapper-Grouper Area Closure in the South Atlantic
(Regulatory Amendment 10)

NOAA Fisheries Service will not implement the proposed snapper-grouper area closure in the South Atlantic. The snapper-grouper area closure is 4,827 square miles and extends from southern Georgia to northern Florida where harvest and possession of all snapper-grouper species would have been prohibited (except when fishing with black sea bass pots or spearfishing gear for species other than red snapper if implemented). The snapper-grouper area closure was previously approved through Amendment 17A to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 17A). The final rule publishes in the Federal Register on April 28, 2011.

An emergency rule was published on December 9, 2010, to delay the effective date of the snapper-grouper area closure specified in Amendment 17A to June 1, 2011. Temporarily delaying the effective date of the snapper-grouper area closure to June 1, 2011, was intended to allow the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) time to respond to new stock assessment information through Regulatory Amendment 10 to the FMP for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 10). The new assessment shows red snapper to be overfished (population too low) and undergoing overfishing (rate of removal too high); however, the current rate of overfishing is less than the rate of overfishing found in the previous stock assessment. This prompted the Council to review the assessment and other scientific information and propose eliminating the snapper-grouper area closure.

The decision to eliminate the snapper-grouper area closure through Regulatory Amendment 10 does not affect the prohibition on harvest and possession of red snapper. As of December 3, 2010, Amendment 17A extended the prohibition of commercial and recreational fishing for red snapper in all federal waters of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is illegal to fish for, possess, or harvest red snapper from these waters.

More information, including Frequently Asked Questions for Regulatory Amendment 10 can be found online at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
If you would like to receive these fishery bulletins via e-mail as soon as they are published, please notify us at: sero.communications.comments@noaa.gov

docs@commerce.senate.gov This is the link to submit you comment on how NOAA/NMFS is implementing the MSA.

The Hearing was on the 8th, Comment period open untill Tuesday the 22nd.

It should be addressed to: Chairman, Senator Nick Begich
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard Sub-committee


Re: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MAGNUSON-STEVENS FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ACT

Possible Unethical Infringements of Lubchenco

http://thepoliticalsandbox.blogspot.com/2011/01/possible-unethical-infringements-of.html?spref=tw

I believe it’s time for an investigative authority to step in and look into this matter to see if EDF Jane’s tremendous push to force catch shares on the American fishermen, in light of her past position at EDF and her current position at NOAA, is either illegal or highly unethical.


As far as ethics are concerned, I plan to file a Federal Ethics Charge against Dr. Jane Lubchenco, as I have done so already on Dr. Bartone, of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, a EDF member also. Between the Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society, EDF, National Science Foundation, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Glenmede Trust, Sea Change Management Investment Company, Innovative Funding For Sustainable Fisheries” (IFSF) and Jane's own Nature Conservancy, a NOAA co-sponsored program all competing in Diving for Dollars in Catch Shares which have nothing to do with "Saving Fish" but actually on how to get more bang for your buck in the by-catch market; I smell a red herring!


Even the latest member, with the highest credentials, Dr. Mark Butler, a marine biologist at Old Dominion University, was appointed to a scientific panel charged by the United Nations to produce a policy brief on how to improve coastal marine management worldwide. He has also been an adviser to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA National Marine Fishery Service, Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Dr. Butlers specialty is marine diseases and the roles that species behavior, habitats and long-distance oceanographic transport of larvae play in disease dynamics. What in the hell has that to do with Catch Shares? Nothing but it sounds good and good enough to spend someone money, as he is currently co-principal investigator on a $2.25 million grant from the NSF to study the effects of over-fishing and climate change on disease dynamics in blue crabs in Virginia.


It takes money, to make money and they are spending money like they were printing it themselves.
Since her appointment EDF Jane has been seeding NOAA with environmental people. She is forcing EDF’s manifesto on domestic fishermen, fishermen that have loudly voiced their disapproval of the catch shares system only to have it fall on deaf ears at NOAA. She sold the American blue fin tuna fishermen out at ICCAT in Paris and she just may be setting the ground work to create a total catch and release fishery for the recreational fleet. EDF Jane must be removed from her position at NOAA before our entire fishery management process is controlled by the Environmental Defense Fund, and their PEW funded crony organizations.

We all should be looking at the big picture and asking for the repeal of the ratification of the LOST, Land & Sea Treaty, with the United Nations, by President Obama! With the signing of this document, the USA is now under rule to the UN, we are paying more back to the UN and under UN rule, our Constitution is but a piece of history. You have heard those speak of abolishing this document because of its age but the real reason is it blocks sanctions to which the UN would impose and are, as we speak through "The Marine Spacial Plan." There too are sections about abolishing all individual gun ownership but to start, your fishing rights are being taken away first.

"So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key

Bluefin Tuna Listening Sessions This Week and Next


If you are interested in providing your input to NMFS on the requested Endangered Species Listing for bluefin, now is a time to do so. You can attend in person. These are designed to be informal opportunities to discuss the status and trends of bluefin tuna from a fisherman's perspective.

There will be a 20 minute presentation on the Endangered Species listing review followed by comments and a public discussion on the following topics:


1.) General impressions of the abundance and distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna over
2.) Trend observed in bluefin tuna catches over time
3.) Perception of the cause - change in abundance, shift in
distribution, change in availability, gear changes, regulatory
effects, etc.
4.) Bluefin tuna "hot spots" Locations (Inshore or offshore)
Spatial and temporal fluctuations.
5.) Average size of bluefin tuna being caught by different gear types or fisheries.
6.) Other information relevant to the review of the status of bluefin tuna

One Can Join The Hearings Remotely:

WEBEX - NMFS has also arranged to have a Web Ex for each
session. The information for this is provided below

CONFERENCE CALL: NMFS has reserved an operator assisted
conference line for those wishing to call in. The number is
888-455-1634, and the operator will ask for a verbal passcode which is
"bluefin tuna." The operator will ask for your name and affiliation and
will help to facilitate those on the call to ensure that anyone
wishing to ask a question or provide information has the opportunity to
do so.

For further information on any of the above, please contact Kim
Damon-Randall at 978-282-8485; NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA
01930; Kimberly.Damon-Randall@noaa.gov.



The following is the WebEx information for each of the 5 sessions. The call in information is the same for each session and is as follows:

Conference call in number: 888-455-1634
Passcode: BLUEFINTUNA

WebEx information:

Date: Thursday, January 6, 2011
Time: 9:45 am, Eastern Standard Time (GMT -05:00, New York)
Meeting Number: 689 799 532
Meeting Password: Bluefin1

Please click the link below to see more information, or to join the meeting.

-------------------------------------------------------
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones too!)
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Go to https://nero-fso.webex.com/nero-fso/j.php?ED=125270042&UID=1084308412&PW=b3f7451ad36f5c4725454d1d55
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: Bluefin1
4. Click "Join Now".

Date: Friday, January 7, 2011
Time: 9:45 am, Eastern Standard Time (GMT -05:00, New York)
Meeting Number: 689 790 674
Meeting Password: Bluefin1

Please click the link below to see more information, or to join the meeting.

-------------------------------------------------------
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones too!)
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Go to https://nero-fso.webex.com/nero-fso/j.php?ED=125270082&UID=1084308482&PW=362e1fb30926262922232f62
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: Bluefin1
4. Click "Join Now".

Date: Monday, January 10, 2011 (NOTE: This meeting starts at 10:00 CST so 11:00 EST)
Time: 10:45 am, Eastern Standard Time (GMT -05:00, New York)
Meeting Number: 685 676 900
Meeting Password: Bluefin1

Please click the link below to see more information, or to join the meeting.

-------------------------------------------------------
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones too!)
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Go to https://nero-fso.webex.com/nero-fso/j.php?ED=125270702&UID=1084310587&PW=41ad1a70593f2e28272d1d
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: Bluefin1
4. Click "Join Now".

Date: Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Time: 9:45 am, Eastern Standard Time (GMT -05:00, New York)
Meeting Number: 688 696 659
Meeting Password: Bluefin1

Please click the link below to see more information, or to join the meeting.

-------------------------------------------------------
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones too!)
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Go to https://nero-fso.webex.com/nero-fso/j.php?ED=125270427&UID=1084310837&PW=f292dd5126001e030c050547
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: Bluefin1
4. Click "Join Now".

YOUR VIEW: EDF, NOAA have anti-fishing agenda
New Bedford Standard Times



By REIDAR BENDIKSEN

Reidar Bendiksen lives in Dartmouth.

November 23, 2010 12:00 AM

I am writing in a comment to The Standard-Times in response to a sponsored forum on the fishing industry catch-share system, held at the Fairfield Inn on Nov. 9, which I attended.

My interest in this issue is from a supplier's point of view at this present time. But being a former fisherman, boat owner and captain, this issue falls on familiar ground and is close to my heart.

The panelists gave testimony in support of their view on the industry, and, judging from comments and audience reaction, the consensus was that of disapproval of the catch-share system. Richie Canastra's testimony pointed towards the unbelievable number of only 16 boats actually fishing successfully under these rules. This was quite sobering in view of the fleet we see tied up to the piers permanently.

However, pro-catch-shares groups such as Pew and the Environmental Defense Fund have been able to infiltrate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seemingly to the point of no return. Because of this I have noticed all people who work for NOAA have become more and more anti-fishing. They most certainly have an agenda on how the fishing industry is supposed to look in the future. Public meetings are merely protocol. The sad truth is, the small-business, small-boat owner/operators no longer fit their plans for the future, so no pleading, begging or hardship stories are going to find a sympathetic ear within any of the above-mentioned groups.

In short, it is social engineering almost at its worst. Only Hitler has one up on them, because he used to kill his victims by the millions after he kicked them out of their businesses and stripped them of anything of value. He called it the Final Solution.

To me, catch-share management looks like it is being viewed as the only way out. In other words, it looks like the final solution — according to EDF and NOAA.

I believe EDF and NOAA would do anything to fulfill their agenda, including lie, cheat, skew numbers, rearrange statistics, promote false propaganda, break laws, or whatever else to reach their goal. At this forum, I witnessed one fisherman after another get up and tell them (EDF/NOAA) horror stories, and there was no sign of remorse or sympathy. They just sat there with smirks on their faces and dismissed it all.

I say their actions are unconstitutional and criminal. They belong in jail for doing this to hard-working people — especially at a time in our country where unemployment is through the roof and the economy in the toilet.

For people who do not know, when boats had to sign up for catch-share sectors, they did so on lofty promises of quota based on the boats' landing history. They signed on to it on a wing and a prayer so to speak, just like buying a car used, unseen and with no warranty except for the owner's testimony.

Boats had different histories. Some had significant haddock history, others cod, pollock or flounder. All the smaller boats that could not venture offshore to chase haddock had catch limits, 2-to-1 counted days at sea, rolling closures, and anything else that was thrown their way in order to discourage them from catching fish that would show significant landings. These boats ended up with low quota history.

National Marine Fisheries Service and its EDF-infiltrated New England Fishery Management Council practically screwed up the days-at-sea system knowingly to pave the way for sectors, knowing right along the majority of the fleet would be short of landing history.

After sectors where established, NOAA finally passed out the individual quotas — which turned out to be only a fraction of anyone's yearly landings, plus a no-discard clause and very low quotas on just about anything except haddock. This made everything except haddock a choke species.

Only the largest boats along the coast had haddock quota of significance. All the rest did not have enough quota of anything, unless they could buy it from other boats. Most owners choose to sell their quota to others and tie up their boats. Result: unemployment.

"Is all this coincidence?" you may ask. Not likely. By design? Very likely.

There is a good reason for fishermen to be angry at Pew, EDF and NOAA. And now when fishermen hear any of these characters spew their rhetoric and lies, they simply no longer believe them, and therefore do not applaud for them when they speak.

As a supplier I have lost a good 50 percent of my small and owner-operated boats, people who were honest, hard-working, good citizens, and were our bread and butter for cash flow.

I do not believe any of today's remaining working boats would be hurt much if the above 50 percent was able to make a living also. Will stability ever come our way again?

In Janes Own Words....CATCH SHARES

http://consensus.fsu.edu/Saltwater-Recreational-Fishing/pdfs-words/dr_jane_lubchenco_remarks_2009.pdf

CATCH SHARES
Let me now turn to the topic of catch shares.
My goal with catch shares is to provide the councils with a variety of tools to ensure that we meet our obligation to end overfishing as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Catch shares have been shown to work well for commercial fisheries as long as they are properly
designed. In the next few minutes, I will describe what catch shares are, why I believe they will benefit both commercial and recreational fishing, and where we need your input in thenext steps. These discussions are timely because NOAA is currently developing its Draft
Catch Share Policy, which resulted from the work of the Catch Shares Policy Task Force which I formed earlier this year.
In general, “catch share” is a generic term for several fishery management strategies that allocate a specific portion of the total allowable fishery catch to individuals, cooperatives,communities, or other entities. Each recipient of a catch share is directly accountable to
stop fishing when its specific quota is reached.
This means that individual fishermen who play by the rules will be part of a system that meets fishery targets. Each fisherman has a strong incentive to play by the rules because he or she will benefit directly from a healthy fishery.

Catch shares include specific programs defined in law such as “limited access privilege” (or LAPS) and “individual fishing quota” programs (or IFQs).
NOAA’s draft catch share program will likely encourage Councils to consider and adopt catch share programs wherever appropriate in fishery management and ecosystem plans with the
goal of achieving long term sustainability of our nation’s fishery resources and fishing communities.
I believe that catch share programs can be a valuable tool in achieving this goal, but let me be clear about one thing: no Council will be required to adopt a catch share program. Councils will be free to consider a variety of management alternatives and to determine
what is best for a particular fishery.
This means, for example, that Councils could decide that a commercial fishery should have a catch share program, but that such a program is not appropriate for a recreational fishery.
Now you may wonder how something that is good for commercial fishing could also be good for recreational fishing. To me, the answer is simple: successful catch share programs should result in more fish in the ocean and healthier oceans. Because commercial catches do not exceed the limits, there are more fish to reproduce and thus more fish to be caught
in the future.

I am mindful that some members of the recreational fishing community have expressed concerns that a catch shares program would amount to a give away of public trust resources, and that allocations under such a program will restrict anglers’ access to fishing stocks. These concerns are unfounded. The law prohibits creating a private right. We do
not have the authority to give it away. A catch share is a privilege.
Catch shares as designed to date can’t easily work for 12 million saltwater anglers. But it is worth exploring ways for trading of allocation to work across the commercial-recreational divide and allowing markets to resolve some of the challenging allocation decisions.
So my main point is that well-managed fisheries will benefit all fishermen and that catch shares are a powerful tool to end overfishing by commercial fishermen. Doing so will benefit saltwater anglers.
I invite you to work with us to ensure that recreational fishing is sustainable as well. As I mentioned earlier, NOAA is developing a Draft Catch Share Policy. The draft has undergone considerable revision and we continue to refine it based on very helpful input
from many interested parties. After its release, NOAA will seek additional input for 120 days before releasing its final report. I encourage all of your members to let us know your concerns and to work with
Gordon Colvin, Forbes Darby, Marty Golden, and Andy Winer to make sure that you get answers to all of your questions.

NOAA Approves Unpopular Catch and Trade Policy for U.S. Fish

Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch
WASHINGTON - November 8 - “On Thursday, to the dismay and outrage of fishermen and consumer advocates around the country, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officially announced the completion of its new catch shares policy, which encourages the privatization of U.S. fishery resources. Also known as ‘catch and trade’, these programs have been criticized as having similar problems as the cap and trade effort to reduce air pollution.

At its essence, catch and trade is a means to allow almost complete control of our fisheries by bigger business interests. It divides up the fish in any given region and doles them out as shares to certain companies and individuals based on past fishing history. While this may sound fair, in reality it often forces smaller historic fishermen out of the industry, skews fisheries toward industrial production, and decreases job opportunities and wages for crew, leading to widespread devastation in coastal and fishing communities.

NOAA announced its official policy on catch and trade Friday after having already enacted the programs on the East, West and Gulf coasts, where countless fishing operations are slowly being pushed out of business. The legality of the catch and trade model is being challenged in three major lawsuits, one in each region where new programs have been finalized: California, Massachusetts and Florida.

What NOAA failed to announce publicly is that catch and trade programs were already ruled a human rights violation in Iceland in 2007, when the UN Human Rights Committee determined that they violated international law and the rights of fishermen by transforming a public resource into individual property.

Unfortunately, NOAA has been establishing catch and trade programs across the nation for some time now, despite global evidence that they often hurt, not help both fisheries and consumers. The quality of fish often decreases as industrial-scale vessels increasingly dominate the industry. Fish can be crushed through mechanic sorting and by being pulled up in large nets with thousands of other fish. Fish are then processed en masse – sometimes shipped across the world to places with lower food safety standards – for filleting and packaging before they are shipped back to the U.S. for sale.

It is shameful that NOAA is championing private interests rather than doing its job to ensure healthy fish populations, stable fishing communities, and quality seafood for consumers. Recreational and commercial fishermen have spoken out against catch and trade but NOAA refuses to listen, opting instead to push toward consolidation of U.S. fisheries until they become like factory farms on land – large industrial operations that bring profit to a few at the expense of many.”

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/press/press-releases/noaa-approves-unpopular-catch-and-trade-policy-for-u-s-fisheries/

NOAA''S CATCH SHARE POLICY SETS A TREACHEROUS COURSE
Coastal Community Expresses Concerns Over New Federal Fisheries Agenda

(11/5/2010) - Assistant Administrator of Fisheries Eric Schwaab this week announced that recreational anglers were being completely ignored by the administration.  In the National Catch Share Policy release issued by NOAA Fisheries Service, Schwaab said angler opposition to privatizing our national oceans was being disregarded, and announced that NOAA Fisheries would not be listening to individual anglers anytime soon. 

While NOAA''s new federal policy of ignoring input from within the coastal communities was embraced by some members of the national fishing tackle industry, the new policy has raised serious concerns with grassroots political organizations and coastal legislators. 

"I have expressed considerable concern over the impact that catch shares may have on the recreational sector," said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ).  "I believe our priority should be improving the science and management of fisheries and that promoting another management tool until those issues have been fixed will only continue to hurt our coastal communities."

As a national grassroots political action organization representing the rights of sal*****er anglers, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) is extremely frustrated by NOAA''s new direction.  "Mr. Schwaab''s take on this dangerous policy is laughable at best," said RFA Executive Director Jim Donofrio.  "Mr. Schwaab claimed to hear from the angling community, but I''m not sure where he was at the time he heard it, perhaps at some Environmental Defense Fund junket, certainly not anything that local anglers were invited to."

On Thursday, NOAA officially released their new national policy "encouraging the consideration and use of catch shares," a fisheries management scheme which Schwaab called "an effective tool for ending overfishing."  According to Donofrio, catch shares will end overfishing primarily by eliminating fishermen.  "When we testified before Congress about catch shares in April, we made it clear that our allied groups do not support catch shares in the recreational sector," Donofrio said.  In testimony on behalf of RFA, Marine Retailers Association of America (MRAA), Fishing Rights Alliance, United Boatmen, United Boatmen of New York, Maryland Sal*****er Sportsmen''s Association (MSSA), National Association of Charterboat Operators (NACO), Southern Kingfish Association (SKA), Conservation Cooperative of Gulf Fishermen (CCGF), New York Sportfishing Federation, and New York Fishing Tackle Trade Association, Donofrio told a congressional committee that the use of catch shares in the recreational fishing sector "would destroy the traditional open access structure and collapse the entrance of new participants in the fishery." 

"All of the aforementioned groups, including the RFA, are adamantly opposed to any catch share program in the recreational fishing sector, in any way, shape or form," Donofrio testified, adding "This is a fact that cannot be compromised.  We do not want any discussion on any program that compromises traditional open access of seasons, size limits and bag limits."

"I also believe that by specifically targeting local fishing businesses for catch shares will only continue to hinder growth in our coastal economies," Pallone said, adding "overly restrictive management of fisheries is already hurting coastal businesses and we need to pursue policies that promote growth in coastal communities which is why I introduced the Coastal Jobs Creation Act and the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act."

"We''ve fought too hard and for too long to keep this catch share policy out of our sector, we cannot let NOAA continue to ramrod this policy through Councils in direct contradiction to the wishes of our fishing community," Donofrio said.  "Clearly our federal bureaucracy is not listening to the will of the people."

"At a time when our retailers are suffering from reduced participation due to the struggling economy, the last thing we need is a new federal policy designed purely to reduce angler effort," said MRAA President Phil Keeter.  "We need more recreational fishermen, not less."

"Obviously you''ve got a public resource which should remain public, and no one should have to pay to access it," said SKA Director Jack Holmes.  "It''s been a tradition in America since before the Declaration of Independence was signed."

"MSSA remains adamantly opposed and wants no part of catch shares," said Dave Smith, President of the Maryland sportfishing group.  

"When the draft Action Agenda was sent to us to review, I made it clear to Russ Dunn (NOAA National Policy Advisor for Recreational Fisheries) and Eric Schwaab that we did not want any catch share plan in the Gulf," said CCFG and NACO representative Capt. Bob Zales, II.  "When we were asked to attend the Recreational Fishing Summit back in April we were told that business as usual from the past was over and there would be a new effort of cooperation between NOAA/NMFS and all recreational anglers. It is clear to me that we have been duped once again."  Zales added that as a member of the federal Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC), he was "grossly offended" by references made to "pilot recreational catch share programs" which NOAA included in their Recreational Sal*****er Fisheries Action Agenda released last week. 

RFA says the NOAA Catch Share Policy is wrought with catch phrases and flimsy definitions, some of which are especially dangerous to future sportfishing opportunities, even non-commercial gamefish species.  "We''re extremely concerned about the impact the NOAA catch shares policy could have on Highly Migratory Species (HMS) fisheries and offshore tournaments," Donofrio said, explaining how the final policy includes a catch share definition that unequivocally stops all fishing once limits are met.  "The way it''s written, this excessively restrictive definition could even prohibit catch and release fishing which is a major component of the nation''s recreational billfish fisheries including sailfish and marlin."

Donofrio said the idea of individual catch share privileges and fish tags in mixed commercial/recreational fisheries like red snapper, sea bass and scup were bad enough before the policy was set.  "We knew that assigning privilege and charging royalties for harvested species would eliminate the average center console angler, but now the fate of offshore access is completely thrown into question when you read the whole policy."

In an article by Richard Gaines of the Gloucester Times, RFA managing director Jim Hutchinson said "When you read this release and see how Mr. Schwaab is promoting catch shares through a $2.2 million funding initiative supported by Wal-Mart and Intel Corporation, it''s hard to think how anyone in our recreational fishing industry can be anything other than outraged at this announcement." 

"This is bureaucracy at its best, you have a federal law which mandates you fix the data problem, but instead of meeting the initiative in the allotted deadline, you host outreach sessions, reallocate funding toward new initiatives and send out press releases," Hutchinson told John Oswald of the Asbury Park Press. 

"There''s nothing palatable about this catch share manifesto, especially the way that NOAA is jamming it down our throats," Hutchinson said. 

 
 
 
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 sal*****er anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our Nation''s sal*****er fisheries. For more information, call 888-JOIN-RFA or visit www.joinrfa.org. 

RECREATIONAL CATCH SHARE WORKSHOP IN WYOMING 10/21-10/22
Enviros Directing Captains How To "Assign The Privilege" of Recreational Fishing



(10/20/2010) Advocates from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) want recreational fishing captains to know - 'catch shares' aren't just for commercial fishermen anymore! In fact, nonprofit EDF together with international 'for profit' consulting firm MRAG Americas, is apparently now working with recreational captains to identify catch share opportunities for sportfishing industry insiders and early investors.



Documents obtained by the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) disclose that EDF's comprehensive Catch Share Design Manual has been excerpted for use this week in private 'invite only' meetings in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as EDF has invited select representatives of America's recreational for-hire sector to a private catch shares workshop. A paper prepared by MRAG Americas in advance of the October 21- 22 workshops reveals "EDF has contracted MRAG Americas to identify the necessary steps that must be taken to understand and communicate how catch share programs might work for recreational for-hire fleets in the United States." MRAG Americas says the workshop "is being held to draw on expertise from members of the for-hire industry and others working in or with this sector to adapt the existing Design Manual for the for-hire sector of recreational fisheries."



According to EDF documents, "a catch share program allocates a secure privilege to harvest a specified amount of a fishery's total catch to an individual or group." The catch share campaign was originally launched by EDF and Pew Environment Group several years ago when marine biologist Dr. Jane Lubchenco was vice chairwoman of the EDF board. Now as NOAA Administrator, Dr. Lubchenco has helped put the EDF catch share plan to the forefront of fisheries management in 2010. "Catch shares are fundamentally different from other management approaches and have generally been implemented after a variety of other approaches fail or are insufficient at meeting specific goals," the EDF manual states, adding "Most commercial fisheries start as open access where anyone who puts in the effort is allowed to catch fish. As competition increases, managers often limit access through licensing of participants." According to EDF, when other methods can't effectively control fishing effort and catch, managers are forced to implement more effort-based regulations, with catch shares fitting the bill.



"We've said all along that EDF and Pew weren't going to be satisfied with just putting 'open access' commercial fisheries under catch shares rule, and now we see where this is headed, right into the heart of our sector," said RFA Executive Director Jim Donofrio. "Pew funds EDF, EDF pays the fisheries consultants at MRAG Americas to get tie-in from a few charter and head boat captains, they're pure divide and conquer tactics," Donofrio added. "The only reason our current fisheries management approach is failing is because these groups set it up to fail through their ongoing lobbying efforts. It's failure by design using catch shares as the solution to the problem."



Donofrio said he received the document when it was forwarded via email from a charter captain invited to attend the private workshop. The origin of the email is said to be Dr. Erika A. Zollett, senior marine scientist at MRAG, who explained that the paper provides an overview of the topics being discussed at the workshop. "The other document provides excerpts from the existing EDF Catch Share Design Manual," Dr. Zollett writes in her email, adding "we will be discussing how we can adapt this manual for recreational for-hire fleets."



A spokesperson for MRAG Americas' told RFA that confidentiality agreements would not allow him to provide information about the meeting except to confirm it was an EDF-sponsored event by invite only. RFA has posted the MRAG Americas workshop paper at http://www.joinrfa.org/press/DesignForFor-HireManual.pdf.



The paper outlines a number of key issues to be considered in the design of catch share programs, some of which are "unique to recreational/for-hire fisheries." According to the document, "Stakeholder involvement and public outreach are essential to inform managers, educate stakeholders, garner support, and fight political resistance."



Donofrio said it's clear that RFA members are in for a tough road ahead. "The fact these venture capitalists included the term 'political resistance' in their design document is appalling, as they know our recreational anglers will not support those participants willingly selling out the rest of our industry," Donofrio said. "Just reading the paper will make your skin crawl as MRAG and EDF outline a step-by-step process of defining who gets shares of fish and how that 'privilege' is assigned. It's horrible to think that some members of our national fishing industry would actually support this sell-off," he said.



Donofrio said the MRAG Americas paper also assumes that since the for-hire sector of the recreational fishery is a commercial enterprise, it should fall under similar management approaches as the commercial sector. "It appears anyone who makes money off sportfishing will fall under the catch shares umbrella in the future, including tackle shops, hotel and lodge owners, even the pilots who carry our fishermen into town," Donofrio said. "We can't have division between the industry and anglers on this, we have too much to lose."



While EDF and MRAG representatives are hoping to gain endorsement for share allocation between a handful of captains and their customers, the pre-eminent industry coalitions in the U.S are continuing their vocal opposition plans to separate the recreational fishing sector into the 'haves' and 'have nots'. According to RFA national board member Capt. Bob Zales, II, as president of the National Association of Charterboat Owners and Operators (NACO), he's been actively pressing his members to understand that EDF and others were trying to push catch shares within the recreational fishing sector. "If charterboat owners didn't believe that EDF was in the business of pushing catch shares in the for-hire sector before, here's the documented proof today," Zales said pointing to the MRAG Americas paper.



Zales said a small group of charterboat owners is being used to promote EDF's effort to reduce charter fleets across the country. In the Gulf of Mexico, Zales said EDF has pushed to separate the charter boats from the head boats, as well as from private anglers, using separate sectors for each. "EDF has consistently told charterboat owners that sector separation is not about catch shares," Zales said. "EDF's real agenda is now confirmed after you read these documents, as sector separation is the first and most important step in implementing catch shares."



The Marine Resources Assessment Group (MRAG Ltd) headquartered in London is registered as a consulting firm with the Department for International Development (UK), European Commission, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations Development Program. MRAG Americas, Inc. is registered as a consulting firm with the U.S. Department of Commerce and is led by Dr. Andrew Rosenberg, the Deputy Director at NMFS from 1998-2000. A source at MRAG Americas said Rosenberg is not involved in day-to-day operations there, and is said to now be working with a group called Conservation International.



According to the Gloucester Times, MRAG Americas, Inc. is one of four firms qualified to provide on-board monitoring worth as much as $6.5 million a year when the New England fisheries go under catch system rules May 1. "EDF is running around citing the World Bank and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as saying that catch shares drive economic growth, but what they're not saying exactly is who it is that's getting rich on this scheme," Donofrio said.



"Catch shares will allot ownership of our public resources to a handful of venture capitalists, but whether or not those shareholders actually share with anglers is not be up to us to decide," Donofrio added. "As EDF says in their socialist manifesto, perhaps that decision will ultimately be up to the local fish cooperatives, permit banks and community fishing associations who are granted the privilege of original ownership."




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.