Bad news for fishermen

[45fisher]

I'm not one for politic's, but when it could impact my flyfishing....

I saw this today on ESPN Sports:

I think this has some devastating potential to Sport and Recreational fishing.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...magesPrint=off

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/s...ory?id=4975762

Just sent a note off to my congressional reps...hope it helps.

 

[cingras53]

We have a constitutional right to keep and bear rods. They better not mess with us.

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Does that article actually explain what the proposals are and how they negatively effect anglers? Seems more like an opinion piece designed to get support for the lobbying groups mentioned in the text.

 

[gadfly]

There was a thread about this in mid-October. I looked into it at the time and thought that it does not seem like a bad thing to me. Furthermore, the main point of this piece seems to be that the feds are closing the public input period. So what?! The comment period had already begun back in mid-October - that makes it at least 5 months. How long should it last?

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[MACFLY]

In reading the article it does not go into what the proposals are. I think the concern is based on a general lack of differentiating between recreational and commercial angling. I think this came up on NEFF a few months ago. At the time, everyone kind of dismissed it as not that big of a deal. So perhaps the issue is lack of transparency and also the folks mentioned in the article as involved in formulating policy are not always recognized as being friendly to recreational angling. Should be interesting to see what comes out of this.

 

[waterworker]

The truth is out there....

ESPN claims Obama is about to ban fishing

 

[MACFLY]

Re: The truth is out there....

ESPN claims Obama is about to ban fishing

Yeah I read this and I think the article that ESPN posted was probably a bit over the top and perhaps someone should have done a better job of editing to make the article more clear. I think it falls far short of the claims this guy makes. The analogy would be the bush administration allowing Oil companies to write the energy policy back in 2002. There was no balance. Some of the groups involved in creating this policy have some extreme views. So there is a fear (warranted or not) that by executive order or some other function that recreational angling would be curtailed or in some case eliminated. The article posted by ESPN even states that no overt dislike of recreational fishing has been stated but there are some concerns about a lack of balance and transparency in the process. Its also a valid concern that recreational fishing could be lumped in with commercial fishing in some instances. Look at some of the public comments folks are making on the whitehouse site. There are extreme views on both sides.

 

[Joe D]

Keep America Fishing

It never hurts to remind politicians that you're watching them.

 

[DoubleHaul]

Chicken Little Syndrome~ CHILL

 

[Joe D]

Participate in the process by letting your elected representatives know how you feel and want them to vote or administrate the New National Policy for the Ocean, Coasts and Great Lakes
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - [title]

Sample letter and contact form to your senator & congressman and the president.

 

[Mark S.]

Chicken Little Syndrome~ CHILL

yep - much ado about nothing. 30 million licensed anglers(thats just freshwater) - who, oh btw, inject billions into the economy - won't allow it and many of those are registered voters(most are males ages 30 to 55). enough said. there's plenty to worry about out there but fishing being banned isn't one of those things.

 

[MACFLY]

yep - much ado about nothing. 30 million licensed anglers(thats just freshwater) - who, oh btw, inject billions into the economy - won't allow it and many of those are registered voters(most are males ages 30 to 55). enough said. there's plenty to worry about out there but fishing being banned isn't one of those things.

I dont necessarily believe we have something to worry about however I agree with Joe that it certainly doesnt hurt to make your elected officials know you are aware of the issue and are keeping an eye on it. We are a large voting block but if we dont make our voices heard its kind of late if an exec order is issued. So while its not very likley that recreational fishing will be banned it doesnt hurt to reinforce our view ahead of a decision.

 

[Agust]

I am always leery of attempts by commercial fisherman to be grouped with recreational fisherman. When you examine crashing fish populations, it always seems that commercial anglers catch 90% of the fish. What that means is that when a population crash is observed, you could very easily protect the resource by moratoriums on commercial fishing, while allowing recreational anglers to continue to fish. The problem is that commercial lobbying groups always demand that any moratorium on them also apply to recreational anglers. Commercial anglers represent a few thousand votes, but recreational anglers represent millions of votes.

Of course that is one of the reasons I think a real salt water license would be beneficial. It would created a definitive count of recreational anglers and provide for funds to work to protect their interests above the commercial guys.

As to this specific piece, seems like it is cut and pasted from commercial lobbying propaganda. The comment periods is ending, as all comment periods do. This one was extended for an additional 90 days already, at some point it has to be acted on.

By the way reminding your representative that you are concerned and interested in protecting recreational fishing rights, is always a good idea. reminding them that commercial anglers are a much smaller voting block, that often hurts recreational anglers with their activities is also a good idea.

 

[Ryan R]

Anytime it appears that groups like PEW, World Wildlife Fund, PETA, Fund for Animals, etc. may have influence on an administration's conservation policies anglers and hunters need to beware and take action to strongly reaffirm their positions and values to their representatives. That was probably the main concern for me with the article.

 

[Joe D]

March 10, 2010
Statement from Eric Schwaab, NOAA's Assistant Administrator
for NOAA's Fisheries Service

The Ocean Policy Task Force has not recommended a ban on recreational
fishing.

The draft reports by the Ocean Policy Task Force do not contain a zoning map and do not establish any restrictions on recreational fishing, nor make any judgments about whether one ocean activity or use is better than another. Instead, the reports set up a policy and framework for effectively managing the many sustainable uses of the ocean while upholding our responsibility to be stewards of our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes.

As a member of the task force, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, has said, and I echo her on this, that saltwater recreational fishing is vital to this nation and NOAA is committed to building a strong partnership with America’s saltwater anglers to ensure that Americans have opportunities to fish sustainably for generations to come.

Saltwater recreational fishing matters to me on a personal level as a recreational fisherman, it matters to millions of Americans who enjoy this great sport and it matters to our economy. Our most recent economic report shows it supports a half million jobs and generates $82 billion in sales each year.

NOAA is committed to adopting policies that will ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to enjoy the great tradition of recreational fishing.

For more information contact Monica Allen, NOAA Fisheries Communications, at 301-713-2370 or email her at monica.allen@noaa.gov


ESPN back pedals a bit: ESPNOutdoors.com: From the editor - ESPN

 

[Future Fanatic]

Given Joed's last post, it seems the original articles were designed to inflame great numbers of people to act and were based on opinion rather than evidence. They raised the specter of a entrenched conspiracy of green groups taking away our rights to raise an army to fight a battle that was NOT to be.

Sounds familiar...

 

[Rusty Spinner]

All:

Here is Trout Unlimited's position on this issue from our new CEO, Chris Wood:


Dear TU Supporters:
We wanted to take a moment to respond to a number of you who have written to us this week concerning an ESPN piece that appeared on the ESPN Outdoors website about the draft proposal recently published by the President's Ocean Policy Task Force. The first sentence in the piece said the following: "The Obama administration has ended public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing some of the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.”
Subsequently, the Executive Producer of ESPN Outdoors issued a statement saying that the piece was an opinion piece and not a news article. That statement is linked here, as is the original published piece from the ESPN Outdoors website.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/saltwater/columns/story?columnist=bowman_steve&id=4982359
The confusion over the ESPN article led the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the coordinating entity for federal environmental efforts, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), to issue the following statements:
Eric Schwaab, NOAA's Assistant Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service:
"The Ocean Policy Task Force has not recommended a ban on recreational fishing."
"The draft reports by the Ocean Policy Task Force do not contain a zoning map and do not establish any restrictions on recreational fishing, nor make any judgments about whether one ocean activity or use is better than another. Instead, the reports set up a policy and framework for effectively managing the many sustainable uses of the ocean while upholding our responsibility to be stewards of our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes."
"As a member of the task force, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, has said, and I echo her on this, that saltwater recreational fishing is vital to this nation and NOAA is committed to building a strong partnership with America's saltwater anglers to ensure that Americans have opportunities to fish sustainably for generations to come."
"Saltwater recreational fishing matters to me on a personal level as a recreational fisherman, it matters to millions of Americans who enjoy this great sport and it matters to our economy. Our most recent economic report shows it supports a half million jobs and generates $82 billion in sales each year."
"NOAA is committed to adopting policies that will ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to enjoy the great tradition of recreational fishing."
Christine Glunz, Communications Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality issued statements the following statement today regarding the Ocean Policy Task Force:
"The draft reports issued by the Ocean Policy Task Force have involved extensive stakeholder input and public participation as they were being prepared, which has included the interests of conservationists and the recreational fishing community. These draft reports are not map-drawing exercises, they do not contain a zoning plan, and they do not establish any restrictions on recreational fishing or on public access, nor make any judgments about whether one ocean activity or use is better than another."
"The Ocean Policy Task Force sincerely appreciates the conservation activities of recreational users, who have a long history of actively participating in the stewardship of the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. The Task Force strongly believes in the ability of recreational fishermen and women to continue to enjoy these activities that are critical to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of our country. In fact, one of our main goals is to ensure healthier ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, which will benefit all recreational activities and the communities and economies that rely on them."
We at TU hope that the CEQ and NOAA statements put this issue to rest. In our view, there is no evidence that the Obama Administration intended to use the work of the Ocean Task Force to undercut marine sport fishing.
Also, we would like to point out that Eric Schwaab, NOAA's Assistant Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, began his new position in February and is a superb conservationist and an avid angler. We wish him well and look forward to working with him in the coming months.
NOAA has invited TU to join many other sportfishing groups to participate in a "Recreational Saltwater Fishing Summit" in Alexandria, Va. in April to discuss this and other issues pertaining to marine sportfishing.
We'll be there and we'll look forward to continuing to work with NOAA on the many challenges we face together.
Regards,
Chris Wood, President and CEO
Steve Moyer, Vice President, Government Affairs

 

[MACFLY]

Given Joed's last post, it seems the original articles were designed to inflame great numbers of people to act and were based on opinion rather than evidence. They raised the specter of a entrenched conspiracy of green groups taking away our rights to raise an army to fight a battle that was NOT to be.

Sounds familiar...

The other possibility is that they saw a reaction to this article and thought they better tell the recreational angling community what they wanted to hear. That being said the proof will be in the final legislation or executive order. Anyone that doesnt think our government hasnt said one thing and done another need only to look at history. Hopefully the statement made by NOAA is Accurate and there is nothing to be concerned about. Only time will tell.