I wanted you to know that after a two-year battle, on a 7 to 5 vote the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council decided last week to stop its efforts to limit or reduce the number of charter and head boats in the snapper-grouper fishery.
My thanks to all of the fishery stakeholders who spoke out in opposition to for-hire limited entry. Over the two-year period, over 95 percent of the comments were in opposition.
Limited entry programs create a “stock market” for permits and is the first step taken in creating catch share programs that destroy jobs.
Given the overwhelming opposition and the fact that the SAFMC’s own lead scientist said there was no scientific justification for limiting or reducing the number of charter and head boats, it’s troubling that it has taken the SAFMC two years to vote this down and on a relatively close vote.
This is an issue we will have to keep an eye on.
Tom Swatzel
Executive Director
Council for Sustainable Fishing
www.Sustainablefishing.org