Very interesting:
The deception that Jennings and the other Charter Fisherman Association guys are trying to pull off is that they are a "independent" group of captains who pooled their money together to form the CFA. REALITY is that the Charter Fisherman's Association is in effect a subsidiary of the Environmental Defense Fund, since EDF funded their creation and continues to funnel money to them to pay for misc. expenses to push EDF's agenda at meetings here in the Gulf, Washington, and even Wyoming(!).
A glimpse of this reality was revealed when CFA steadfastly opposed any increase in the RECREATIONAL % of the red snapper allocation with the resulting decrease in the % of the COMMERCIAL red snapper allocation. You see, another EDF front group, The Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholder's Alliance (a commercial fishing organization also created/funded by EDF) funneled $48,000 from EDF to provide the seed money for CFA startup a couple of years ago - CFA has probably received well over $250,000 by now. CFA therefore was required (by their EDF benefactors) to oppose any increase in allocation to the recreational sector - STRANGE, since the CFA is supposedly representing their clients - RECREATIONAL FISHERMEN. It seems that they are wolves clothed in sheep's clothing here.
The CFA/EDF operatives are being sold the bill of goods that recreational IFQs will bring the same windfall to them that they did to the commercial guys - increasing the recreational allocation would run contrary to that goal since the Plan has been to put the squeeze on the Gulf recreational fishermen (by shortening their seasons) in order to coerce them into accepting the supposed solution - CATCH SHARES. If the for-hire captains are gifted a % of the Gulf recreational red snapper allocation, through Days At Sea, Recreational IFQs, etc., they will control access to the fishery with their permits that can then be sold, traded, or leased for their personal profit. The American fishermen, consumers, and taxpayers are left out in the cold.
The Alabama DNR has endorsed a plan to privatize our Public Trust Resources, which I find absolutely appalling. An agency charged with stewardship of our Public Trust Resources, (that not only we but our future generations own), pushing for a plan that privatizes our fish through catch shares or recreational IFQs raises some real ethical and I would think legal questions. They should better spend their time exploring ways to validate the effort landings data as Louisiana has already done, which, by the way, revealed egregious flaws in the way the feds do it. Seems that the best interests of the Gulf recreational fishermen (which includes Alabama recreational fishermen) are being shoved aside for the benefit of a select few enviro-funded stooges.
THIS is what needs to be stopped, and NOW.
Capt. Thomas J. Hilton
