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Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
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Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Good Evening,
here is one reason people need to Join the RFA, they are working to protect your rights to fish. I was involved with a teleconference with Mike Doebley, RFA legislative affairs director and other representatives from Massachusetts who want to stick up for your right to fish. When you see these bills, call your elected officials and insist they support them so we can keep the oceans open for ourselves and future generations.
Capt Dave
RELENTLESS www.nauticaladventure.net
For immediate release: February 6, 2003
Contact: Herb Moore Jr., Director of Government Affairs
609-294-3315
RecreationalFishing Alliance Launches Freedom to Fish Initiative in Coastal States
(New Gretna, NJ)- Today, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) announces a national initiative to introduce “Freedom to Fish ” legislation in coastal states. This initiative is in response to the radical environmental movement to close off vast areas of our oceans by creating no fishing marine protected areas (MPAs). In the first phase of this effort, RFA and affiliates will be introducing “Freedom to Fish” bills in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
“Anglers were among the first conservationists,” said Jim Donofrio, RFA Executive Director. “Recreational fishing remains one of the most popular outdoor sporting activities in the United States yet as we’ve seen in California, we’re now being targeted by these radical environmental organizations. It’s time for everyone to focus on specific gear that’s causing specific problems.”
Recreational fishermen have long demonstrated a commitment to conservation through abidance with minimum size requirements, bag limits, seasonal closures, and the use of non-lethal rod andreel fishing gear. Rod and reel fishing is a highly selective, inherently inefficient method of catching fish that traditionally has not led to overfishing.
The RFA state Freedom to Fishbills prohibit closures to rod and reel fishing unless there is a clear indication that it is the cause of a specific conservation problem. This legislation would also establish requirements for closures including periodic review, scientifically based size restrictions for any closure, and provisions to reopen areas to rod and reel fishing whenever the basis for the closure no longer exists.
“Freedom to Fish legislation isn’t about banning MPAs. It’s about safeguarding public access to our public resources,” said Herb Moore, Jr., RFA Director of Government Affairs.
“Anglers, boat builders,retailers, party and charter boat businesses, marinas and many others depend on access to healthy, well-managed fisheries,” said Michael Doebley, RFA Deputy Director of Government Affairs. “The RFA state Freedom to Fish bills requires specific conservation problems to be identified, and specific measures to betaken to address the problems, rather than having arbitrary closures based on emotion and anti-fishing agendas.”
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
The mismanagement of the fisheries at our end of the country (California) borders on criminal. If we don't protect ourselves and the fisheries, we might as well take up checkers instead, because we sure aren't going to be fishing. And forget about taking your kids fishing.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Recreational anglers need to be represented by state and federal government. However, be careful.
The state of Mass would love to create a recreational saltwater fishing license. They will argue that they want to know who we are and how many, so that they can better "represent" our interests.
However, the real interest is another source of revenue. Do you like your new charterboat license requiremnet ??
I worry that such alliances just evolve into a list of people to recieve applications for fishing licenses.
I could get into some details as to how that money gets spent..... however It would not be prudent on my part.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Harpoon,
Please tell me how well we made out with the recreational limits that were put into place by Judge Kessler after we were represented by Federal and State fishery managers. I will tell you, we got screwed. I strongly feel that the RFA and other organizations such as the Northeast and Cape Cod Charterboat associations all need a sronger voice by having a larger member base. We are headed down a path that is dangerous and I feel we should trust organizations who do this full time as a livlihood and not once a month during the non fishing season.
As far as the state charterboat requirement, I can live with a 10.00 annual fee. The only thing I wish is they had a sticker to go with it so the gren suits can crack down on people runnin charters with expired or no Captain licenses.
Salt water licenses, I totally oppose and am just waiting for Mitt to bring that one up. It will be a nightmare for head and charter boats. I believe Florida has a boat license which covers everyone on a charter boat. Alaska has to fill out a one day license prior to leving the dock for everyone on board.
Once again, being part of large organizaions can only help protect us. Sen Collins wrote a letter which is posted at www.bdssr.com concerning DAS for Maine fishing boats headed to Georges Bank where they are allowed 50,000 lbs 19" haddock a trip while youand I are allowed no more than 10 at 23" . Not one elected official has spoken up for the recreational angler concerning groundfish bag limits and requirements and I believe fishing organizations can be the voice we need in order for us to fish in the future.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Dave,
Don't take my comment the wrong way. I probably should have put that under a different thread.
The point I was trying to make is that state govenment is primarily concerned with revenue. They hide behind issues like "better representation of fishermen" in order to get into our wallets.
We need to be sure our alliances are going to work for us not tap our wallet.
The situation in California is terrible. It seems there needs to be a much larger lobby for recreational anglers. perhaps the "alliance" is a good start.
We are definetly screwed on the charter/groundfishing regulations. I'm not as close to the issue as you, however many say that we brought it on ourselfs by complaining about the commercial fleet, while guys are offloading coolers full of cod fillets from charter/party boats.
It seems the answer to the groundfish problem is not that complex, yet commercial fishermen do not want to break ranks and address it.
The answer is no more inshore dragging. If all ground fish inside 50(?) were harvested with fixed gear, longlines, tub trawls, handgear and gillnets we would not be destroying the groundfish and their habitat.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Phil,
No offense taken, just a discussion about what is going on in the industry. It is not just the charter boats that have taken the hit. It is the recreational fisherman which is who we are taking out. We are just the taxi. As far as guys unloading coolers, that could be debated forever. Lets do some math, 6 guys on board, plus captain and mate = 80 fish averaging 10 lbs each resulting in 800 gross lbs for day. Oh yeah, these guys traveled 8 hours from PA to get here. 800 lbs divided by 1/3 = approx 266 lbs divided by the six guys. This means each guy is brnging home about 46 lbs of fillets which he gives away 15 that he promised, mom, dad, neigbors and co workers. Now he has about 25 lbs or with his three kids and spouse about enough for 7 meals to last him until he makes his annual trek back to MA next year. Another thing, he did not kill hundreds of lbs of juvenille fish to take his limit. Or I guess he could just continue to fish Georges Bank where no limit applies still whil we al chip in our part for conservation.
OK, now I do realize their are other guys who do go every day and I hear people speaking about customers selling their catch. My answr to this is bust them and set an example. Confiscate, truck, rods, reels and fine the hell out of them after banning them from fishing in Commonwealth for 10 years.
Phil, I am not goig off on you, this is just a chance for others to see what is going on. Ys, it has been a long winter and I am still taking charters out for 5 cod and 5 haddock with decent results when we can get out. Hopefully we will have good weather this weekend as I still hve openings. By the way, get back to work!
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
I fish a lot on the Fingers in a 6 pac charter boat. This area is closed to commercial fishing and no selling of fish is allowed by recreational charter boats that are permitted to fish there. My captain makes this very clear to all his customers. I understand that he found out one of his customers last year was trying to sell some of his fish and now he refuses to take him on the boat...good for him!
Personally I bet in this area that if they made the legal limit on cod 28" and keep all that you catch there would be no problem with the groundfish population growing exponentially providing that commercial fisheries arent allowed to wipe out herring etc (another thread). There is no way that a charter boat with non professional fisherman having the restriction of two hooks per line, the limited days in a season we can tolerate sea conditions and the limited range/area we can fish in a 12 hour charter, that we could ever harm this fishery keeping fish 28" and over.
Good luck with the weather this weekend Dave, I heard Thursday will have a high temp in the teens in Boston. Hope you have an icebreaker in your fleet!
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
What's all this have to do with the Freedom to Fish Act??
The RFA played a very big part in getting the NJ Saltwater License shotdown this year. The state was just looking for more money to fund mostly commercial projects and the RFA fought against it.
F2F act will be huge for all the northeast states. The Enviro's are heavily funded and are pushing heavy to get MPA's in place just like in CA.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
John,
I guess we were talking about representation and protecting rights to fish and slid towards the current situation we are involved in with cod and haddock due to poor representation.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
We do not in NC, our fishing regs are controlled by Marc Basnight, the commercial fishermans henchmen in Raleigh. We have some of the worst managed fisheries in the country. Don't believe me?? Take a boat ride through Core and Pamilco sound, thousands of pound nets killing fish of every size and species. It amazes me that any fish actually make it to the ocean. Than there is my favorite, NC is home to the last of the menhaden processing factories. They send their boats out in the sounds and along the beaches of NC netting all the menhaden they can find. Does'nt matter that this is forage for almost every species of fish found in our waters, it is more important that one company profits from the frisky critters. When they catch too many, they simple dump the excess back and they wash up on the beach like they did at Oak Island last year. Once back at the plant, the bait is ground up to make cat food, never did like cats. Seems like the $750 million dollar impact of recreational and charter fishing would be able to correct some of this but no, Mr. Bashnight keeps that from happening. I guess it will take a disaster of some sort to get things righted.
I joined the RFA hoping they may help our ailing fisheries but was so dissapointed I let my membership expire. My first newsletter from them was full of bickering and slams on others trying to help in NC like CCA and the Billfish Foundation. RFA appears to concentrate on the NE which is fine but instead of spending $$$$ and time slamming other like minded groups they should find a common ground and work together,
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Ok a quick recap... MA, NJ, RI and NC do NOT have a saltwater fishing tax... I mean license.
Kirk: Get your facts right. NC is NOT the last state to have Pogey factories. In fact, there is one in MS and the boats that were recently run off the east coast have relocated to MS and started DEVASTATING the pogey schools here 2 years ago after they relocated here from out east. I agree Pogey's are a forage species for a lot of other fish and the commercial pogey guys here in MS are wiping them out at an alarming rate. Of course, the Pogey business owner says "hey, no problem, there are plenty pogeys out there!"... Yea, and I have some land in South FL I'll sell ya. And some MS fisherman wonder WHY fishing here is not as good as it used to be or COULD be.
As to the RFA I'm a member and will continue to be. They are a lobbying force in DC and if you want the federal regs watched and your position known then they are the group. I believe the CCA and TBF do good work, and normally have nothing bad to say about either, BUT if you are refering the LONGLINE closure area/buyout proposals of a few years ago; then clearly I have to say BOTH CCA and TBF leadership were misguided and willing to sell out the long term good for marginal gains in the short term. I don't think RFA was slamming them just disagreeing with their position on the issue. FYI RFA wasn't the only fishing conservation org that disagreed with TBF/CCA on this. IMHO, CCA/TBF were DEAD wrong on this issue... look at the successful Longline closure areas we have today without the heavier tax burdens on recreational fisherman that were proposed by CCA and TBF.
I think all fisherman should join whatever organization(s) is more closely aligned with their fishing concerns. But let's not BLINDLY follow bad advice I don't care who it's from RFA, CCA or TBF.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Truth is if Commercial fishermen had their way there would be no recreational fishing, they simply want you to buy their fish, create a monopoly and raise prices. But if you want the Hull truth, there are too many Commercial fishermem, and 20% of them go over their quotas.
Meanwhile, the Nazi black booted gamewardens are checking Bubbas' boat for God knows what while the Commercial boats chug on by loaded down with illegal fish.
Its an old trick, Commercial guys take down boat numbers, load their boxs and contact game officials giving them the ole' song and dance about they saw undersized fish being brought aboard some poor recreational fishing boat.
BEWARE!!!
Write your Congressmen and Women, insist that it is un-consitutional to be stopped or detained on waterways without probable cause. Safety inspections are Bull S%^$- After they fine you they move on to the next sucker, doesn't make you any safer, its not the Governments responsibility to make you safe, its simply another way to invade your life and push their will on citizens. Game Wardens have way too much power now, they are more powerful than a judge, in other words you are quilty until you prove you are innocent, you catching all this commie star?
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Down here in South Alabama, there is a recreational fishing license requirement. I must admit, I was opposed to it in the beginning. However, I can see improvements in a myriad of ways that the money has done. New fishing reefs, boat ramp repairs, new boat ramps where there were none and the possibility of new fishing piers around Mobile Bay. We also have an annual permit that charter boats buy into that allows all on board to fish without any kind of license. Just another sticker on a boat. The cost of doing business. (Try that in Louisiana.) That permit costed $200 last year. Don't know this year. Dadgum charter boat moratorium made the point moot. I can still run other people's boats with the ticket, but can kiss ever running one of my own goodbye till I can afford to pay $10,000 for a $70 license.
But, that's not the point of this thread. Just letting you know what's going on down south.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
all you California guys go to www.coastsidefishingclub.com and check it out. It's internet based and has 3000 members. We are doing some incredible things, starting with a lawsuit to stop the fish & game from closing the nearshore rockfish fishery. We are fully allied with the RFA.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance?
Swordfish, sorry to hear you have one too. Did not realize they did it in the Gulf. I knew we were home to the only one on the east coast. Makes no sense to me that one company should be able to devastate the resource.
My point about CCA/TBF/RFA was that instead of printing a newsletter that devotes over half the issue to arguing about who's right about the best way to do something they ought to spend that time, money and energy attacking the real enemy. I won't pretend to be an expert on all salt water issues, just the ones I have been directly effected by, but a LOT more could be accomplished if these groups could find common ground. I am sure each group thinks their way is the best but I bet you picking any groups solution would be an improvement over the status quo. What we have now is splittered recreational representation and IMHO it does more harm than good. Instead of having one solid voice hammering on Congress or state houses we have 6-8 groups with different messages. Elected officials probably don't know what to believe so nothing gets done. A united front would change that. We would not have a perfect solution in everyones mind on every issue but at least we would get measurable progess instead of deadlock and confusion we currently have.
Why should someone join Recreational Fishing Alliance? 
