More on Obama and Fishing Restrictions...

[Reel Cowboy]

Remember to vote early and vote often.

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[Barhopr]

It's been happening for a while now fellas. It aint just Obama.
http://www.ccaflorida.org/docs/SpecialR ... 1-3-09.pdf
http://www.floridasportsman.com/casts/090116/
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FWC Allows Another Huge No-Fishing Zone in the Dry Tortugas (Seawatch, March 2006)

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has decided to support the creation of a 46 square mile no-fishing zone inside the Dry Tortugas National Park. The closure is part of the park’s general management plan.

Since the national park lies entirely within Florida waters, an agreement was reached in September 2005 between the State of Florida and the National Park Service that allows the Service to manage submerged lands within the park. However, the FWC has jurisdiction over fisheries within Florida waters so the proposal had to go before the commission.


CCA Florida opposed the decision and encouraged the FWC to amend the Park Service’s proposed ban on all fishing in the 46 square miles—roughly half the park—to allow catch and release fishing for species such as tarpon and permit. It was felt that there was no reason to prohibit all forms of recreational fishing when there are other proven means to protect fisheries.


Although the management plan calls for the closure of all fishing, spearing and boat anchoring, vessels with park permits would be allowed to tie up to mooring buoys for wildlife viewing, snorkeling and diving activities. Even though enforcement issues were brought up by proponents of the no-fishing zones, CCA felt that catch and release fishing for tarpon and permit would not create enforcement problems any different than could arise from allowing recreational diving in areas where spear fishing is prohibited.


In addition, closed areas to the north and south of the park already prohibit fishing in 150 square miles and constitute the largest no-fishing zone in the United States. Moreover, a scientific report entitled "Fishery – Independent Monitoring of Coral Reef Fishes and Macro-Intervertebrates in the Dry Tortugas" published in 2004, found that the snapper and grouper species in the park are already in good condition, and in fact, found that huge increases in the population of bottom species such as red and black grouper and yellowtail snapper has taken place since 1999 in areas of the park where recreational fishing is allowed.

CCA Florida's Advocacy Position and other articles and publications relating to Marine Protected Areas and No-fishing Zones.


March 2006 SEAWATCH


HOUSTON, TX – Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) has filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Fort Myers, Florida, challenging the adoption and implementation of Amendment 29 to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan approved by United States Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke on August 30. Amendment 29 gives away a majority share of Gulf grouper to the commercial fishing industry through a catch share program.

“CCA has stated from the beginning that this management action is fundamentally flawed,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of the CCA National Government Relations Committee. “In moving forward with Amendment 29, the federal government has disregarded multiple provisions in the Magnuson Stevens Act designed to govern the impacts of such action on other participants in the fishery. The only ones considered in this amendment are the commercial fishermen.”

Catch share systems bestow a percentage of a public fishery resource to a select group of commercial fishermen, based on their catch history, to harvest for their own personal gain. The commercial entities pay nothing back to the public for the permanent property right to harvest a public resource, but catch share systems are nonetheless being emphasized in federal fisheries as a way to reduce overcapacity and improve economic efficiency in the commercial sector. CCA has contended that in fisheries where there is a large and growing recreational sector, exclusive fishing rights proposals maximize benefits to the commercial fishing industry while ignoring the participation and beneficial economic impacts of recreational fishing.

“In more than 30 years of practice in fisheries law, I have not seen a more arbitrary action than this one,” said Robert G. Hayes, CCA general counsel. CCA has asked for an expedited hearing and expects the government to answer the lawsuit within the next 60 days. “We are going to proceed as quickly as the court will allow to prevent the implementation of this egregious decision.”

To see a copy of the official comments CCA submitted to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council on Amendment 29 in June 2009, visit the Catch Share section of the CCA Newsroom at.