SKA Forum

Rigging the Stanman Way, Angler mag. January 2012

2012-01-17T18:06:08-05:00

Received some inquiries on how to tie the McLean Knot referred to in the January 2012 Angler article by Gary Caputi.

Go to http://www.captainstanman.us/forum/showthread.php?t=3679 for a step by step with photos.

The article stated that we use 1/0 treble hooks on the Ribbonfish Rig. In the Gulf we aluminum spray paint black Gamakatsu size 4, 4 power treble hooks and in the Atlantic we use #6, 4 power Gama trebles and give them the same paint treatment. Aluminum paint is specified b/c it is much brighter than silver or grey.

One piece AFW Bright stranded wire (which is silver colored) is used for making ribbon rigs.

Write me with any questions that you might have. seajay74 at comcast dot net

Merry Christmas from LBFT

2011-12-24T19:51:28-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Lost Boys family to all teams and the entire SKA family.
Rich Cook
Lost Boys Fishing Team (LBFT)

Merry CHRISTmas

2011-12-10T11:53:10-05:00

I wish everyone a safe, blessed and Merry Christmas. I know some of us during the year don’t see I to I on some issues but this is the time of year for us to put those differences aside and focus on the one that allows us to do what we do, the one that has blessed us with what we have how ever large or small it is, Jesus Christ. The one that gave up it all so we could have a chance to have it all one day in Heaven.Sometimes we sit around and feel like everything is going so wrong or how does this guy do what he does and I can’t do it, just don’t see how they spend the money they do. Just look around and you will see someone no matter how little you have, you are rich compared to them. People, we are a blessed people just to live in this county regardless to how bad we think its getting, its still the best Nation in the world. So lets all put our differences aside, pray for each other and our Country, and have a blessed and happy Christmas. May God bless you all.
David

10 AM 10/4/11 Pres. 0 plan to close the oceans

2011-10-04T07:50:12-05:00

Recreational Fishing Alliance
Contact: Jim Hutchinson, Jr. / 888-564-6732 For Immediate Release
October 4, 2011

House Natural Resource Committee Meets Today At 10 A.M.

RFA Likes “Top 10 Things” About President Obama’s Plan to Zone the Oceans”

(10/04/2011) On July 19, 2010 President Obama signed Executive Order 13547 to unilaterally implement a new National Ocean Policy without Congressional approval or specific statutory authority. This policy is a new regulatory layer that could significantly impact the way we use and manage our oceans and is another example of the Obama Administration imposing burdensome federal regulations and policies that could hinder economic growth and harm job creation. In addition, the Administration is implementing a mandatory Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning initiative to “zone” the oceans.

This morning at 10 a.m., the Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing entitled “The President’s New National Ocean Policy - A Plan for Further Restrictions on Ocean, Coastal and Inland Activities.” The hearing will examine the job, energy and economic impacts of President Obama’s Executive Order.

Tuesday’s 10 a.m. hearing before the full Committee will be held in Hearing Room 1324 in the Longworth House Office Building in Washington DC, and will be broadcast live via the web at http://naturalresources.house.gov/live. The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) encourages its members to visit the link above to watch as the Congressional Committee skewers this controversial presidential edict which RFA has staunchly opposed for nearly a decade.

“Rep. Sam Farr of California has been pushing this ideological hogwash through the House for nearly 10 years, but every time his doomsday bill gets debated in Committee it is tossed out for being utter nonsense and a bureaucratic nightmare,” Donofrio said on July 20, 2010, after President Obama used presidential privilege to circumvent the legislative process (visit http://www.joinrfa.org to view RFA’s frequent comments both on and off the congressional record with regard to Rep. Farr’s failed “Oceans 21” legislation.)

Donofrio points out that Rep. Farr is first up on the slate this morning to talk about the President’s Executive Order 13547 before the Committee. “Mr. Farr’s disastrous Oceans 21 legislation had a handful of supporters who truly believe that our government needs more anti-representative bureaucracy, but RFA and others fought hard to defeat this unnecessary bill in the past, and we hope to see strong objection from the Committee to the President’s Executive Order, Congress should be funding this fiasco,” Donofrio said.

“The Natural Resources Committee never supported Oceans 21, and we applaud Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) for taking this initiative to task in an open forum for all constituents to view,” he added.

For saltwater anglers and constituents who wonder how the presidential edict will impact them personally, RFA said Chairman Hastings’ Top 10 Things to Know About the President’s Executive Order and ‘Ocean Zoning’ released in advance of the hearing probably says it best.

1) Lacks Congressional Authorization. In four separate Congresses, legislation has been introduced to implement similar far-reaching ocean policies, and to-date NO bill has passed the House or been reported out of a Committee.

2) Unilateral Action. The Obama Administration has failed to cite any specific statutory authority for the Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning initiative. Instead, it throws up a smokescreen list of all statutes that impact the oceans and claims that is their authority.

3) Imposes ‘Ocean Zoning.’ The Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning initiative is entirely new, mandatory ocean zoning that involves up to 27 Federal agencies and will cost the taxpayers millions, if not billions, in Federal spending. This initiative could place huge portions of the ocean off limits to all types of recreational and commercial activities.

4) Threatens American Jobs. ‘Ocean zoning’ has the potential to damage sectors such as agriculture, commercial and recreational fishing, construction, manufacturing, marine commerce, mining, oil and natural gas, renewable energy, recreational boating, and waterborne transportation, among others. These industries support tens of millions of jobs and contribute trillions of dollars to the U.S. economy.

5) Far-Reaching Impacts Not Limited to the Ocean. This new ‘ocean zoning’ authority would allow Federally-dominated Regional Planning Bodies to reach as far inland as it deems necessary to protect ocean ecosystem health. It specifically mentions the Great Lakes and could potentially impact all activities that occur on lands adjacent to rivers, tributaries or watersheds that drain into the ocean.

6) Creates More Bureaucracy. The Executive Order creates: 10 National Policies; a 27-member National Ocean Council; an 18-member Governance Coordinating Committee; and 9 Regional Planning Bodies. This has led to an additional: 9 National Priority Objectives; 9 Strategic Action Plans; 7 National Goals for Coastal Marine Spatial Planning; and 12 Guiding Principles for Coastal Marine Spatial Planning to be created.

7) Tool for Litigation. The ‘ocean zoning’ initiative involves vague and undefined objectives, goals, and policies that can be used as fodder for lawsuits to stop or delay Federally-permitted activities. This initiative is poised to become a litigation nightmare.

8) New Cost to Taxpayers. This new policy will affect already budget-strapped agencies such as NOAA, Department of Commerce, Department of the Interior, EPA, Department of Transportation, USDA, Homeland Security, and the Army Corps of Engineers. As Federal budgets are further reduced, it is unclear how much funding the agencies are taking from existing programs to develop and implement th

RIGS TO FISHING REEFS

2011-09-16T18:58:16-05:00

Vitter takes important step in protecting vital Gulf habitat

Re: Rig removals

Sen. David Vitter (R-La) filed for legislation today that will prevent rigs and other structures from being summarily removed from the Gulf of Mexico.
In a knee-jerk response to the Gulf oil spill, the U.S. Department of Interior issued a directive in October of 2010 ordering that all non-producing rigs be plugged and any remaining structure removed within five years of the issuance of that directive. Sen. Vitter’s Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act of 2011 seeks to allow those structures to remain in the Gulf as vibrant artificial reefs.
“More than ever we need to create habitat for marine life in the Gulf, not dispose of it,” said Sen. Vitter. “These idle rigs are serving a valuable purpose by supporting our fisheries, and it just doesn’t make sense to remove them. I appreciate the Coastal Conservation Association for bringing this issue to my attention so we can reach a reasonable outcome that benefits the fish and the fishermen.”

“The structures are generally regarded as the largest man-made artificial reef in the world, providing habitat to dozens of species of fish and marine life, many of which are structure-dependent,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of CCA’s National Government Relations Committee. “Sen. Vitter, like all fishermen, realizes the critical connection between habitat and healthy fisheries, and we are grateful for his efforts to have those structures stay in the water as habitat and as popular fishing destinations for recreational anglers.”
There are approximately 3,500 offshore structures in the Gulf of Mexico and the directive, known as the Idle Iron Policy, would impact roughly 650 structures that have not produced oil or gas within five years of the directive issue date of Oct. 15, 2010.
“If nothing is done, a tremendous amount of habitat will be lost and the negative impact would be massive,” said Brewer. “In the aftermath of the oil spill disaster, it is understandable that the federal government felt the need to be seen taking action, but this directive could create far more problems than it solves. Sen. Vitter’s legislation serves as a reasonable approach to address the Administration’s concerns while maintaining this vital habitat.”
The Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act would not allow platforms to be removed until an assessment has been completed to determine whether there are coral populations or other protected species in the vicinity of the platform, and to identify any species that have recreational or commercial value. If it is determined that there is a substantial reef ecosystem around the structure, the decommissioning of the platform will be halted until it can be determined that removing it would not harm the reef ecosystem.
The Act further states that companies are exempt from the requirement to remove platforms from the marine environment as long as the owner commits to converting the platform into an artificial reef either by initiating discussions with applicable state governments regarding potential sites for the artificial reef or by taking steps to provide for “reefing in place.”
For reefing in place, the Act outlines several steps that must be taken, including removal of the top decks, maintaining an anode system and navigation aids, and paying into a Reef Maintenance Fund created by the Act. Those payments should equal the estimated costs associated with the removal of the platform that the owner would have been responsible for if the owner had not elected to reef the structure. The Reef Maintenance Fund is to be available without fiscal year limitation and not subject to appropriation, for the maintenance of artificial reefs established under this program.
“This is a well thought-out solution that works for everyone, but most importantly it works best for the marine environment,” said Brewer. “We look forward to working with Sen. Vitter and with Congress to get this bill passed as quickly as possible and keep those platforms in the Gulf as vital artificial reefs.”

SOLD

2011-09-16T18:56:28-05:00

SOLD

Ft Pierce

2011-08-22T08:04:46-05:00

Any news on the Ft Pierce tourny? The hurricane should either be on top of us or pretty damn close

Rich
LBFT

ProFinder Charts, LLC. vs Jimmy’s Marine, LLC (Ocean Isle, NC)

2011-08-09T09:51:09-05:00

This notice is to inform anglers that we no longer have any type business relationship with Jimmy’s Marine, LLC - effective August 5, 2011. This company is NOT authorized to sell, upload, advertise, or promote the Pro Chip. Neither will we be responsible for possible corrupt data resulting from such a purchase or upload from that date forward. Caveat Emptor!

Congressman Jones of N. C. testifies

2011-07-27T14:52:09-05:00

Yesterday Congressman Jones testified at the House Fisheries Subcommittee hearing on problems with NOAA fish science. Below is a press release that includes his testimony. You can also watch video of the Congressman’s testimony here . . . http://www.youtube.com/user/RepWalterJones#p/a/u/0/am5mi-4Q7fs .

Joshua Bowlen

Legislative Director

Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3)
(202) 225-3415

jones testifies on noaa fish science

Jones calls for a new definition of best available science, a prohibition on diverting science money to catch shares and a federal investigation of NOAA’s use of Saltonstall-Kennedy funds

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today U.S. Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) testified at the House Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs Subcommittee hearing on whether federal fishery science is costing fishermen their jobs. Jones documented how the outdated science used in the recently enacted Amendment 17B has impacted North Carolina fisherman. Jones also called for a new definition of “best available science”; a prohibition on this Administration diverting science money to catch shares; and a federal investigation of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s use of Saltonstall-Kennedy funds on operations expenses instead of fisheries research.

Congressman Jones’ testimony can be viewed below:

“Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on this important topic. On behalf of Eastern North Carolina fishermen, I can confirm that the Magnuson Act’s definition of “best available” science and the lack of science on fish stocks are causing significant job loss in North Carolina.

A great example of this can be seen in NOAA’s December 2010 approval of Amendment 17B to the South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Management Plan. That amendment closed federal waters from 240 feet to 200 miles offshore from Florida through North Carolina to protect two fish species – speckled hind and warsaw grouper – for which there are no valid stock assessments. In fact, the last stock assessment on speckled hind was completed 11 years ago. The last stock assessment on warsaw grouper was completed over 20 years ago! Imposing such a massive closure based on such outdated science is terrible policy. It’s also costing my constituents their jobs, as boats are literally tied to the dock because of this. The annual economic loss to fishermen in my district from Amendment 17B is well over $1 million dollars. I am pleased that NOAA is helping to get some of these fishermen back to work, but serious damage has been done.

This unnecessary situation is largely the result of the Magnuson Act’s requirements to set annual catch limits on species determined to be undergoing “overfishing” based on “best available science”. NOAA has interpreted the Magnuson Act definition of “best available” science to mean “any available” science, regardless of how old it is, or how sound it is. So in the case of Amendment 17B, despite the fact that the only available science was well over 10 years old, it was used to produce a determination that the stock is currently undergoing overfishing. This finding triggered the Magnuson Act’s requirement for imposition of an annual catch limit, which the agency found should be set at zero.

Unfortunately, this situation is not an isolated incident. Fishing communities around the country are suffering under similar circumstances. The fishermen I talk to unanimously agree that at least two changes are necessary to fix this problem.

First, Congress must pass legislation to improve the Magnuson Act’s definition of “best available” science. If the latest available stock assessment is more than five years old, it should not be considered “best available” or used as the basis for management decisions.

Second, we need more money for fisheries science. That is why it is extremely troubling that this Administration continues to rob money from the NOAA science budget in order to ram their job-destroying catch shares agenda down the throats of fishermen across the country. For Fiscal Year 2012, NOAA proposed to redirect $17.4 million from science to catch shares. That is simply unacceptable.

It is also troubling to see NOAA annually take tens of millions of dollars in Saltonstall-Kennedy funds – which are required by law to be spent on fisheries research – and instead redirect them to fund NOAA operations. In Fiscal Year 2009, NOAA used over two-thirds of its $108 million in Saltonstall-Kennedy revenue on operating expenses, leaving less than one-third for fisheries research grants. At the very least, this practice appears improper. It may also be illegal. In the interest of transparency and accountability, I believe the Inspector General of the Commerce Department or the Government Accountability Office (GAO) should open an investigation of NOAA’s administration of Saltonstall-Kennedy funds.

Mr. Chairman, I’d like to thank you again for holding this hearing. This is an important issue, and I appreciate the opportunity to testify.”

For additional information, please contact Catherine Fodor in Congressman Jones’ office at (202) 225-3415.

###

Catherine M. Fodor

Communications Director

Rep. Walter B. Jones (NC-3)

2333 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-3415

http://www.jones.house.gov

SKA EPIRB RULE

2011-04-25T11:55:08-05:00

There seems to be some question why the SKA implimented our EPIRB requirement that went into effect this year. As most of you know, for 2011 the SKA has made it mandatory that all SKA tournament participants who are competing for SKA points must have a functional EPIRB or PLB onboard their boat. We have discussed this requirement for the past several years and informed all our membership early in 2010 as to this necessary change.

At the National Championship’s Captains’ Meeting this past November, captains were asked to raise their hands if they already had an EPIRB or PLB on board. The overwhelming majority of them raised their hands.

With all that has happened to both fishermen and boaters traveling offshore over the past couple of years, the SKA believes that this important change is warranted and we have asked the events that we sanction to also adopt this rule.

If this requirement saves just one life, we all win!

EPIRBS today have come way down in price (much less than $1000) and you can find PLBs for less than $250 (A Spot is even less). Less money than most spend on fuel to enjoy one day on the water. When equipped with this state of the art life saving equipment, anyone fishing along our coastline that needs help, for what ever reason, can have the Coast Guard on the way in seconds and overhead or onsite in minutes.

For the past several years, our attorneys have been after us to stress the importance of proper safety equipment onboard our member’s boats. (They are also pushing us to require that everyone wear a life jacket when their vessel is moving) The attorneys believe that even though maritime law states that a vessel’s captain is responsible for the safety of his or her passengers once they leave the dock, if a participant does something stupid and people are injured, sick or are lost, the tournament you may be participating in, as well as the SKA may be drawn into a lengthy suit, which we will have to defend. The EPIRB requirement is just another way we help a captain and his/her crew make the right safety decision.

Any Questions? Feel free to give me a call at the SKA office - 904.819.0360 or on my cell 904.669.0011

Bob Flocken