Below is a letter that everyone should read...you may agree or disagree but read it. I will leave the author anonymous and just paste the letter titled: Am I the only one?
That see's the obvious?
I lived this once in my life. I saw the fighting happen as we all blamed each other. It wasn't the recs, it was the gill netters, or the rod and reel comm's, or the trawlers, or the pollution. No one looked at themselves and said I am part of the problem.
The recreational sector kills too many fish, we all, at least here, agree to that. We all say we must protect the stocks with a coast wide limit. Cut the kill in half or more. Just try to get us to agree with what is right, however, becomes a war amongst ourselves. Book writers and magazine article authors of today have an agenda. I saw the inside of the issue and turned down an offer to write because of it. Research done many years ago, financed by a man they called "Chicken Little' on the beaches and fish houses, proved much of what we know about Stripers today. He didn't write many magazine articles or even a book, he wrote checks. He saw the future as we know today, even predicted the first crash almost to the year. He funded many studies, including some to dis-prove those he had already compiled.
The amount of Bass sold through back doors by recreational anglers pales the legal fish sold through the mongers up and down our coast. I know this as a fact and could make a pretty good living doing it. I would not have to worry about a single bill needing to be paid. A boat, an eel trap, and a few snagging hooks, and I'm looking at 30K or more after expenses. I know of, and have reported over 20 Restaurants and fish markets that I can sell to, no questions asked as long as I am lower than the legal dealers. All cash.
Poaching and dead discards probably triple the number of fish sold legally as well. I had a conversation with a trawler fisherman that owns a liquor store down the street from me. He only, again, strengthened my low opinion of the commercial fisherman. He showed his true colors toward resource conservation when he complained of throwing back "by-catch" even when they are dragging a net in an area they know will produce a higher percentage of fish they are not allowed to sell. It turned ugly pretty quick.
Now, we have the so called "animal rights" oganizations getting involved. This is the worst nightmare we can find ourselves living. I have years of dealing with them. Anyone ever trapped fur, or know someone that has? Know a hunter? Ask them what ends these people will go to spread the propaganda they spew to increase the millions they put in the bank. All the while actually doing nohing but increase problems for the people who actually do something legitimate for the resource, and populations they claim to be protecting. "Ducks Unlimited" spends millions in habitat restoration. PETA has not spent a penny to create 1 more saved egg, or 1 single shoot of wild rice to provide feed on the migratory fly ways. Yet they use these birds through pictures of cute little chicks and full plumage Wood Ducks in a fund raising calender to promote higher salaries for the board of directors.
The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Council through its most powerful seat holders in the commercial fisheries sector has tried to discredit the photo's showing the dead fish that float on the surface as "birds". Of course you can see birds in the photo's, as Black Backs feed on the buffet of dead Bass killed in an irresponsible act by the trawler fleet. These birds feed on the highest nutritional parts of the fish, the livers, and roe, first. this action causes the swim bladder to burst and the fish sink. Some made it to the shore and washed up on the beaches to be counted. I would bet they didn't make up 1% of the total of the entire kill, yet the commercial trawlers want the general public to think this is the actual total of the kill!
Am I the only one that see's this for what it is?
Game fish status and an end to Bass being sold will end the poaching and allow this fish the opportunity to regain it's once plentiful population on our coast. Enforcement is a farce due to the complete failure of the regulators that control those with the badge. We must demand action.
Have you written your letters, or tried to call the phone numbers posted every where on the WWW? I have, as many others as well, judging by the fact I keep getting busy signals.
If you haven't, you are part of the problem, not the solution. __________________
