BigBendFishing.Net

Big Bend Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association is holding its 23rd annual banquet and auction on May 19 at the National Guard Armory on Capital Circle. The fun starts at 5:30 with silent auctions, games and fellowship with recreational fishermen and friends. There's a live auction for fishing gear, nautical/wildlife art and great fishing and hunting trips after diner.

Tickets are $80 per person/$150 couple and includes donation, great meal and one year CCA membership. Sponsor tables are available for $800 for eight and includes a fishing bucket of goodies for each. For tickets and information please call Trip Aukeman at 850 559-0060 or Bill Mickler at 850 591-2471.

CCA is a national non-profit marine conservation organization dedicated to protect the interests of saltwater recreational fishermen and advocates for sound, responsible conservation practices to preserve our marine resources. Please go to www.ccaflorida.org for more information.

If you've never been to a CCA banquet, you've been missing out. Besides great items available in the raffle and auction (exotic fishing trips, tackle, gear, art, etc.), at some fabulous prices, the banquet is also a great opportunity to network with the local fishing community and make new business contacts.

If that's not enough, you'll be supporting the BEST marine conservation organization going. The list of CCA accomplishments is too long to catalog here, but suffice it to say we wouldn't be enjoying the great inshore and nearshore fishing we do without its efforts and the support of the members. CCA is also in the trenches on the federal level on multiple issues, including grouper/snapper, Marine Protection Zones (disguised as No-fishing zones), catch shares and many more. They have several lobbyists that appear before all the management agencies to lobby on behalf of conservation and recreational anglers. Membership also includes a subscription to the award-winning Tide magazine.

I know discretionary money is tight these days. But if you love saltwater fishing and want to see the stocks protected and access unrestricted, open your wallet for a banquet ticket and go. It'll be money well-spent!

groupertherapy wrote:
CCA is a national non-profit marine conservation organization dedicated to protect the interests of saltwater recreational fishermen and advocates for sound, responsible conservation practices to preserve our marine resources.

BULL! CCA has abandoned the principles on which it was originally founded. This organization supports catch shares, proposed a "tag auction" system for Red Snapper, and is consistently supportive of many NOAA and FWC restrictions on recreational fishermen/women. There were a number of issues in the Florida Legislature this year directly affecting fishing, estuary and marine protection and CCA was MIA. While there was testimony and coordination of lobbying efforts by many groups, CCA was not seen or heard from. And sadly, they are increasingly bending to the Natl Marine Fisheries Service views on issues. No more $$ for this worthless, self promoting group.

A far better use of your money is membership in, or donations to, RFA, the Snook Foundation, FRA, etc.

I guess this means you are not coming to the banquet.

groupertherapy wrote:I guess this means you are not coming to the banquet.

I'd say he's probably 50-50 right now.

Reel Cowboy wrote:

groupertherapy wrote:I guess this means you are not coming to the banquet.

I'd say he's probably 50-50 right now.

Yep, I believe I'll pass. I guess it's a bit of a joke to some folks. But, if you just go by the self-generated PR from CCA, you cant understand where your money goes - it certainly isn't going to lobbying on behalf of recreational fishermen in Florida. Then again, a lot of folks go to their fundraisers to have a chance to win stuff in the raffles.

I would be glad to have you attend and sit at my table at no cost to you.

groupertherapy wrote:I would be glad to have you attend and sit at my table at no cost to you.

Is that an open invitation?

Sure is. Buy a table and invite your special guests too.

I've been to the last two Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission meetings where CCA's lobbyists and members were in attendance to comment on several issues of importance to recreational anglers, including redfish, trout, grouper, snapper, dolphin, etc. Strange, but I don't recall a RFA rep being there championing for any of those causes.

Your handle is probably all-too revealing, Limitless. But for others who haven't drank the Kool-Aid, I invite you to check out the facts and track record of CCA.

You may not care to support the organization, LL, and that's your right. But you and everyone else on this forum have certainly benefitted from its efforts.

groupertherapy wrote:I would be glad to have you attend and sit at my table at no cost to you.

I sincerely appreciate your invitation. But it's not about cost or related issues. I've been a member of CCA-FL and GA for some years, but haven't renewed because of the organization's recent stands and lack of fight in protecting recreational fishing. Like I mentioned, one of my pro bono clients is a major national group dedicated to protecting rec fisheries and the environment necessary to them. I have been at the Capitol every day this past session and the months of committee meetings leading up to it - never saw anyone from CCA. They aren't doing the job they say they do.

Your local chapter will have a successful event - folks love the camaraderie, hanging with other fishing friends, the chance to win a nice rod, etc. - I just hope that when you hand over the bucks to CCA you ask where they were when the fight was going on?

You know, you read on good forums like this one, FS, and others about closing Grouper and even AJs, a 40 something day Red Snapper season, delaying raising the Redfish limits, and on and on. There's a lot of bitchin' about it, but not much action. Folks blindly assume that the organizations they support are working for them. What I'm trying to convey is while CCA may attend FWC and GCFMC meetings - it doesn't get done there; and they're not in the arenas where it does.

Limitless,
If you would accept my invitation to the event I will be happy to introduce you to the CCA folks that lobby for us. Some of them are registered lobbyists like you. In addition, CCA has a full-time staff person that is assigned to legislative affairs. My offer stands and is sincere.

I also must weigh in , I and my wife are extremely involved with the Florida legislature, and the CCA has not been a very vocal member for some time.What I see happening is what seems to happen all to often. When a group starts to carry clout, its not long before they start hedging towards the " official view of things". The CCA used to support the Rec. anglers stance and views, does not seem like it anymore.What happened? Too much "lobbying,dinners,fun on the side?" I have not renewed my membership in the last 2 years because it seems like "our friends" have too much sympathy for the opposing side.

With the creation of the constitutionally-empowered FWC, the Legislature doesn't have much jurisdiction in fisheries issues, other than funding and some ill-advised bills like Negron's move to eliminate licenses. CCA does actively work during the session, however, with paid lobbyists in addition to the regular staff as they did this spring.

On the state level they are there at every FWC meeting and most of the workshops (staff and members). On the national scene, we have several paid lobbyists in Washington and regionally who work the issues at the council, national and international levels.

Is CCA highly visible at all these meetings, sessions, etc.? No. They do much of the work behind the scenes. Maybe we should toot our horn more like other groups. But the track record is there, like when thousands of red hat volunteers converged on the Capitol to convince the governor and Cabinet to take redfish off the commercial market. Or when many thousands manned the polls to collect a still-record number of petition signatures to ban gill and entanglement nets (which resulted in a 72% victory in 1994). Or when CCA spends thousands of dollars in legal fees to challenge NMFS' rulings time and time again.

Some groups grandstand. CCA just gets it done.

"Some groups grandstand. CCA just gets it done." BULL. Got any examples since the net ban in 1994?????

OK, explain their support for catch shares and the CCA proposed "solution" for Red Snapper entailing auctioning tags to the highest bidder.

Some of the CCA contracts in Tally are friends of mine - Dunbar, Martha, Safley - but they were not engaged on Aquatic Preserve funding, the fertilizer bills, the Ceitus barrier issue, etc.! They are strong professionals, but CCA didn't have them on those critical habitat issues.