Pew opposition to S.1916
January 24 2012 -
On January 23, 2012 Bob Zales received this message from Lee Crocket of the Pew Environment Group:
Subject: Help Stop a Bad Fisheries Bill in Disguise
Dear bob (sic),
Take action: Bad fisheries bill resurfaces; don't let your senators be fooled!
Like a predator lurking in the deep, the so-called Fishery Science Improvement Act (S. 1916), a bad fisheries bill in disguise, has surfaced in the Senate. We need your support to ensure members don't take the bait by supporting the legislation.
Thanks to America's ocean fishing law, we are on the cusp of having annual catch limits in place to protect all our federally managed species, and fish stocks are recovering. S. 1916 would turn back the clock on our valuable fish populations by:
- exempting federal managers from setting catch limits for many of the U.S.'s ocean fish stocks, including some of the most recreationally valuable species such as dolphinfish (pictured), leaving them vulnerable to overfishing; and
- taking away the incentive for managers to collect crucial information on recreationally important fish in order to set catch limits. Instead, managers would focus limited research dollars on commercially important species where the catch limit requirement remains.
Senators should reject this bill and set their sights on real opportunities to improve fisheries science and conservation by prioritizing funding for fisheries data collection and analysis.
Ask your senator to support sustainable fishing and real scientific progress.
Thank you,
Lee Crockett
Director, Federal Fisheries Policy
Pew Environment Group
Later that day, Bob Zales forwarded the message to Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance prefaced with this message:
Apparently the enviros are not ok with this bill after all. This simply shows the world that the enviros are not willing to ease up on their quest to eliminate fishermen and the jobs we provide for our coastal communities. Surely it is time to stand up for the people as well for the resource. While this proposed bill does some to help it clearly does not go far enough and the thought about doing less to ease restrictions to not offend the enviros so they will not oppose any legislation is a false hope. These enviros have controlled our fishery management far too long. It is past time to take our fisheries back and manage our fisheries in a way that provides access while allowing fishermen to fish. Real and honest science and factual assessments that include all information from all sources, including fishermen, will provide for proper management and access. Scare tactics and off the wall predictions by the enviros only serve to eliminate fishermen from accessing the resources we know are healthy and sustainable.
In case y'all have not heard the news, we will be having another Fishermen March on Washington on Wednesday March 21. The last Fishermen March on 2-24-10 brought over 5,000 fishermen and supporting businesses together in Washington in a stand of unity for the common cause to be able to fish and provide for our families and communities. All we request is real and honest science, factual assessments that include all available information from all sources, and rebuilding schedules based on real data rather than arbitrary non scientific timelines. We are hopeful more will attend this time. Please mark your calendars for that day and plan to join our unified event.
Bob [Zales]
To which Jim Donofrio replied:
Bob you don't believe this BS do you? Its all posturing all calculated to make this bill look like it does something for us all part of the CCA ASA CCC Greene plan to get nothing done to help us.
Comments
Leave a Comment
