Capt. Ron/Another fishery closed ....

[1captainron]

As of two days ago, another fishery has been closed to both Rec and Commercial fishermen.
The Red Snapper from the Gulf States all the way to the Carolina's.
It's just a matter of time.....other than a lawsuit being filled, where's the outrage except among ourselves??
No public protest's, No report on 60 minutes or the local news for that matter on how this rouge agency is putting hard working Americans out of Business, WITH THE PRESIDENTS SUPPORT!!!!
Why are we making it so easy? As men, let me ask those who sit idly bye, What happened to your BALLS???
In high school most would have taken on the bully, maybe you got your ass kicked, maybe you didn't, one thing you got by doing it was RESPECT. The bully became your friend, he along with anyone else had respect because you stood up.
We are faced with the biggest bully of our lifetime right now, and yet we let him kick sand in our face!!
We don't fight back and some even think if we do, it will make us look bad!!
You know what looks bad, standing on the unemployment line wondering how did this all come about, why, for what reason?
Is it about the fish for real??? BS. Don't believe that for a minute.
It's about people wielding power over other people because they can.
Jobs that were made up to do nothing more than be justified by Something getting done, whether it puts people out of business or takes away a way of life.
Respect, what respect? Don't let me once hear those cry who have done nothing....you'll hear the respect I have for that. BS! Capt. Ron

[ped579]

I posted this yesterday:

http://njsaltwaterfisherman.com/forums/index.php?topic=14806.0

 

[IrishAyes]

I feel your pain Captain. Most people will bitch amongst themselves and feel that they have done their part. What needs to be done is to bitch to those that can and should make a difference.

As long as the fishermen do not unite and show a force to be dealt with the politicians will look the other way.

 We have to take our complaints to the people who can make things happen. That it the politician. If we can show them that we do have control over their job (by not electing them into office) we can and will win the fight.

If we oust just one of them and the rest KNOW that that person was not in office anymore because of US they will come to our side.

We need to act now.

[ReelFun]

Ron,

Something has been knawing away at me for quite some time and I have yet to have anyone answer this question.

How come the recreational fisherman have been left to fight all the closures almost entirely alone? Where the hell is the support from the "big guns" in the recreational fishing industry. For example, and there are many who have been silent:

ALL the outboard motor manufacturers (Yamaha, Johnson, Mercury, Evinrude and so on)

All the boat manufacturers (Triton, Parker, Regulator just to name a few of the hundreds who make fishing boats)

ALL the tackle manufacturers, well I think you get the picture. Where the hell are these guys who have a direct stake in where the recreational fishing will go if NOBODY fishes. Who the hell is going to buy their products?

Ron, you want results........answer. Get one of the lobbyist groups to organize a MASSIVE march on Washington where ALL INDUSTRIES participate. Not just you and me and the party boat and charter boat captains and mates, but private boat owners as well as everyone listed above AND invite a media blitz from the major networks  with enough cameras to make MGM envy to cover this thing.

But then again, like you said, you gotta have some gulliunes to pull this one off. One thing NOAA and PEW (PU) have that fisherman don't have and it's not money my friend, its ORGANIZATION.

I may be wrong, but that's just my 2 cents.

Capt. John

[Hunter 2]

 ,,well said Capt.John     This whole thing sucks.

[Hotrod]

about  

[Kenny]

You hit the nail on the head Capt. John

Organization is the key word in all of this...

If we ( rec fisherman ) and the manufacturers that support our sport got together as one voice, that would be a force to reckon with and not be ignored.

Sometimes I feel our efforts are to fragmented.

Perhaps we need to lobby the manufactures to bring their resources to bear on our behalf,( their customers )  to help protect the very existence of the industry that they profit from.

Perhaps one big organiztion with the RFA, SSFFF and the like just being chapters. But get everyone under the same roof along with the  big boys of the industrty like Penn, Shimano etc.

An organization like that would be a sledge hammer.

[Bucktail]

http://www.asafishing.org/

[ped579]

Fine, they have a web site, but where are they.  All you hear about is the RFA why not ASA as well.

Maybe Rod should invite them to the site and explain what they are really doing to help us.

I agree with Capt John, it is their fight as well, where are they?  And I don't mean that they just report what is going on we all can read that but where physically are they in relation to helping to mandate NOAA must change their thinking about bad science dictating closure of certain fisheries.

Paul

[Bucktail]

Here's a link to some contact information if you'd like to find out more.

http://www.asafishing.org/government/policy_watch.html

[CaptTB]

Here's a link to some contact information if you'd like to find out more.

http://www.asafishing.org/government/policy_watch.html

The ASA is an industry advocacy group, supposedly representing the marine manufacturers.

Unfortunately the ASA, and its recreational wing the CCA, have actively fought against flexibility in the MSA, part of the cause of our problems, and have actively advocated for the "experience" of fishing over the actual catching of fish itself, thereby diminishing the value of people/fishermen that actually want to catch and keep something.

The CCA has also been silent on the Sea Bass lawsuit, even though they have chapters in Mid-Atlantic and New England states. No financial support need be applied, even just verbal support, even verbal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of an issue with Sea Bass would have been nice.

However, ASA and to a lesser degree CCA have shown they are NOT interested in doing what is necessary and are more concerned with, in the case of ASA, promoting the fishing experience as accessibility to the fish species we fish for is being removed one species at a time. Spending millions on advertising campaigns while the very fish these newcomers to the sport are supposed to catch are being rebuilt and then removed from the fishermens "plate" so to speak.

If you are waiting for ASA to help out, don't hold your breath


(PS, I would be THRILLED to be proven wrong and have the ASA climb onboard!!!!)

[IrishAyes]

How about a letter campaign to them asking about their support on this issue. Put their feet to the fire and have them burn or put the flame out.

If they get enough inquiries from the people who keep them in business they may see the error in their ways.