A reminder of the important public hearings next week in South Carolina on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s snapper-grouper Vision Project.
Here’s the public hearing/listening station schedule for next week: (All are at 6 pm)
Monday, July 20:
Murrells Inlet Community Center, 4450 Murrells Inlet Rd., Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Tuesday, July 21:
Mt. Pleasant Waterworks, 1619 Rifle Range Rd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
This long-term snapper-grouper management plan, which was promised by the SAFMC to be “stakeholder-driven,” contains measures that are overwhelmingly opposed by stakeholders: catch share programs for both commercial and for-hire fishermen that will privatize the fishery, expensive and burdensome vessel electronic monitoring for all fishermen, and more closed fishing areas.
I urge you to attend the public hearing/listening station in your area and speak out against the Vision plan. Bring other stakeholders with you. If you can’t attend, there are webinars associated with each hearing. Click here for a list of the hearing locations for all states and webinar registration: www.safmc.net/resource-library/council-visioning-project
Also, help fight this radical plan by:
*Emailing your comments opposing the plan to: amber.vonharten@safmc.net. Ask other fishermen, dealers, wholesalers and consumers to send in comments.
*Personally contacting the SAFMC members from SC that represent you and tell them why you oppose the Vision plan. Click here for the contact information: www.safmc.net/about-us/council-members
Be heard on this very important plan. Thank you in advance for your help on this important issue!
Tom Swatzel
Executive Director
Council for Sustainable Fishing
www.Sustainablefishing.org