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FISHERMEN TO MARCH ON
WASHINGTON “UNITED WE FISH” TO ASK FOR CONGRESSIONAL RESPONSE ON
FEB. 24
12/16/09 - In a historic show of solidarity, recreational
and commercial fishermen will gather together on the steps of the
Capitol on February 24, 2010 from noon until 3 p.m. in an organized
demonstration against the unintended negative impacts of the
Magnuson Stevens Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the federal
fisheries law which was revised in January of 2007. Coordinating the
march under the flag of United We Fish, rally organizers are hoping
to see a large show of force in defense of coastal communities.
“The closures keep coming and it’s good to see the collective
fishing communities and industries, both recreational and
commercial, calling for scientific based Magnuson reform,” said Jim
Donofrio, Executive Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).
“We are all in this together.” Donofrio cited recent closures of
amberjack, black sea bass and red snapper fisheries as examples of
what he calls a “broken” federal fisheries law.
The groups organized through United We Fish are hoping to
prove to legislators just how many American anglers and business
owners are truly being impacted by the overly restrictive management
requirements created by MSA based on non scientific arbitrary
deadlines. According to Bob Zales of the Conservation Cooperative of
Gulf Fishermen (CCGF), the timespecific deadlines mandated by MSA
coupled with flawed data collection methods are forcing
anglers off the water. “We fully support real science based
management and the conservation of our marine resources while also
being able to sustain recreational and commercial fishing
activities, providing locally caught seafood, sustaining small
family businesses, and supporting our coastal communities.”
This effort is being coordinated by many organizations and
individuals including but not limited to the RFA, CCGF, United
Boatmen of New York, United Boatmen of New Jersey, New York
Sportfishing Federation, Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen’s
Association and the Fishing Rights Alliance. “Some people have asked
‘why, it’s winter’,” said Donofrio who said he’s gotten the required
permits and expects a large crowd in DC on February 24th, regardless
of weather. “We can’t let seasons stop the momentum, and if we wait
any longer none of us will be fishing. Many members of Congress will
be standing shoulder to shoulder with us,” Donofrio said.
Nils Stolpe, a consultant to the commercial fishing industry
and columnist for SavingSeafood.org said that over the past three
decades since the original Magnuson Act was established, fishermen
have been gradually phased out of the fisheries management process,
regardless of sector. “The scientists have been put in charge, and
as the list of closures and restrictions up above painfully
demonstrates, the Act has been turned into a weapon that is now
being used against fishermen and fishing communities.”
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) first introduced the
Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2008 in the
110th Congress to provide "limited flexibility" for federal
fisheries management. More than 100 fishing groups and industry
members from around the country pledged their support for the
legislation and the bill’s 19 bipartisan coastal cosponsors, but the
bill languished during the volatile economic climate in advance of
the presidential elections in November of 2008.
Realizing that fisheries closures would continue without
congressional intervention, in March of this year, Rep. Pallone and
fellow Representatives John Adler (D-NJ), Henry Brown, Jr. (R-SC),
Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), Barney Frank (D-MA), Walter B. Jones, Jr.
(R-NC), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Mike McIntyre
(D-NC), Michael Michaud (D-ME), Solomon Ortiz (D-TX) and John
Tierney (D-MA), reintroduced the Flexibility in Rebuilding American
Fisheries Act of 2009 (HR 1584). Twenty-five co-sponsors have since
pledged support including Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Timothy Bishop (D-NY),
Allen Boyd (D-FL), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Peter King (R-NY), Rob
Wittman (RVA), Jo Bonner (R-AL), John Mica (R-FL), Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), Clifford Stearns
(R-FL), Donna Christensen (D-VI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Ander
Crenshaw (R-FL).
Following a letter-writing campaign by the RFA-NY and members
of the New York Sportfishing Federation, senior Democratic Senator
Charles Schumer of New York announced his Senate version of the bill
(S.1255). Currently, the Senate bill to correct the flaws in MSA has
no cosponsors, which is something United We Fish organizers are
hoping will change in February.
“New York’s Senator Schumer is as concerned about his fishing
constituents as he is about the fish, just as Congressmen Pallone,
Frank, Jones, LoBiondo, Kennedy, Adler and others in the House of
Representatives are,” said Stolpe. “Hence they have formed the
nucleus of a growing movement in Congress that, in spite of the
editorial opinion of the New York Times and the expenditure of many
millions of dollars by the Pew Charitable Trusts, is aimed at
preserving recreational and commercial fishing, the lifestyles of
millions of fishermen, and the tens of thousands of businesses and
hundreds of fishing communities that they support,” Stolpe added.
Organizers from within the recreational fishing sector are
hoping to get commitment from all user groups and across varied
state and regional boundaries. “This is much bigger than any one
state issue or individual grievance,” said RFA’s Managing Director
Jim Hutchinson, Jr. “Whether it’s our restrictive fluke fishery in
New York, the arbitrary closure of state waters for our anglers in
California, or the shutdown of red snapper and amberjack down south,
our community has been divided by preservationist tactics for too
long. It’s time to unite the clans in defense of our coastal
heritage and traditions,” Hutchinson said.
“We need to let Congress and NOAA know that we are the
collective voice of the recreational fishing community and the
collective voice does not accept the current broken management
system which wreaks such havoc on all of us and our businesses,”
said Donofrio, adding “The goal on February 24th will be to get all
of our congressional friends to attend.”
“At this point Senator Schumer and his Congressional
colleagues in the House deserve the thanks and the support of every
one of us who fishes, whether for fun or profit,” said Stolpe.
The United We Fish rally is set for 2/24/10 at noon at the
Capitol. For details as they become available, sign up for the RFA’s
email newsletter on the homepage at
www.joinrfa.org
The Recreational Fishing Alliance is a national, grassroots
political action organization representing recreational fishermen
and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries issues.
RFA’s Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers,
protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the
long-term sustainability of our Nation’s saltwater fisheries. For
more information, call 888-JOIN-RFA |
