I am definitely available to help with the postcard campaign. Pm sent.
go to Nikki Haley’s web sites and tell her how you feel!
http://www.facebook.com/NikkiHaley?filter=1
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NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
As the need for more voices goes out to all, organization is the key. What needs to happen and unfortunately it is the way American politics has gone, is, fisherman need to have a “body”. Much like the NRA and AARP, fisherman need to be organized and have political clout. Along with that is once the beaurocrats pass the bill, it can be challenged, lawsuits filed, and either be dismissed, held up in court for years (even possibly sent to the Supreme Court), all of which will take time and then hopefully get the liberals out of office and replaced with intelligent people that want to do what is best for ALL.
The question is though, how do we make that happen? This is not just a South Carolina issue, it affects the entire country.
jczc2414, I would like to see a co-op approach for a national alliance of fishermen and seafood consumers. We need a way to give everyone a voice as well as a way to unite in support of each other’s freedom to fish and everyone’s freedom to access American seafood. We have power in numbers IF we will start working together. One thing that united almost every recreational and commercial fishermen across America was their distrust of Jane Lubchenco. She has stepped down and we need to say who we want to replace her. Dr. Brian Rothschild is the one name that kept coming up as I asked people who they thought should replace Lubchenco. I talked with Dr. Rothschild and looked into his work. He would is willing to take the job and would be very good at it. Please look under the Urgent Action Alerts section on the home page of my website to learn more about him and how you can support his appointment. www.freefish7.com
Senator Kay Hagan of NC has agreed to ask President Obama to appoint him and hundreds of people signed a White House petition supporting him. We need other members of Congress to support him and more people to contact the White House asking President Obama to appoint Dr. Rothschild. Good leadership at the NOAA helm would help ALL fishermen faster than anything short of a total disbanding of NMFS.
Here is a rough draft for the postcard. The text will all fit nicely on the sky and water in the front picture. The back will have a place for people’s name, address, and comment. Some postcards will be addressed to the SAFMC and other to members of Congress. What do you think?
I OPPOSE any new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
I SUPPORT enhancing existing MPAs with artificial reef habitat.
I OPPOSE any regulation/law requiring American citizens to install Vessel Monitoring Systems on their private property.
I SUPPORT marking MPAs with data buoys or platforms equipped with video cameras that would monitor any illegal activity.
I OPPOSE any Catch Share schemes that allocate private ownership of our Nations public resources.
I SUPPORT managing quotas with possession limits at levels that avoid multiple extended closures and excessive regulatory discards.
The Congressional deadlines to end overfishing have been met. There is no need to rush any new laws that will have severe negative social and economic impacts on fishermen and seafood consumers.
Why not also send your postcard to members of the legislature?
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
We can do that too yellabird. Are you a state legislator?
quote:
Originally posted by freefish7We can do that too yellabird. Are you a state legislator?
Yes Sir.
And as a reminder, please make sure everyone is coming to the Subcomittee Hearing on OUR Black Sea Bass Bill, Wednesday at 9:00 AM. If you want a year around season for BSB’s in state waters, please plan on being at the subcommittee meeting at the State House in Columbia on Wednesday, the 20th at 9:00 AM. Show your support and be there.
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
quote:Chad, here is something to think about... Originally VMS was used to monitor FOREIGN fishing vessels. Now, they want to use it to monitor DOMESTIC commercial vessels. You want to know the kicker? They have DROPPED the requirement on foreign vessels now!!!
Originally posted by cobia256Just for my clarification the VMS is only going to be for vessels with a federal Commercial Snapper Grouper Permit correct?
Chad
Cobia 256 Express
Pulled by a Dodge Ram 3500
There are really a few major issues (not limited to this list):
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If they do it with commercials now, they will eventually do it with recreational vessels. With gas prices rising, eventually commercial guys will go out of business. They can’t raise the price of their product because of South American imports. They also use these VMS to collect fishery data. When the commercial guys are gone, who do you think they will want to collect “data” from next?
YOU!!! -
The commercial guys know ALL of the good fishing spots on our coast. What makes our fishing so great compared to South Florida is that we have secrets. Fish have places to hide. If everyone knew the LAT\LON of every live bottom in SC, fishing would be like our artificial reefs (too much pressure). Our fishery will collapse. The federal government will be collecting the waypoints of ALL of the commercial guys. In effect, they will build up a database of every ledge, rock, live bottom, wreck in our region. Since that data will be “owned” by the public domain, how long do you think before it is published? Sure fishermen might think “Wow! You mean I will know all of the secret spots?” But that’s the problem. They won’t be secret any more and our fishery would collapse in a matter of a few years.
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We can’t support anything of such Orwellian nature. When th
yellabird, I live in NC and am out of town or I would attend your meeting. I believe in state’s rights and think we should push for state waters to extend 50 miles offshore.
skinneeg, you nailed it. Another reason for collecting all this data on where we fish with VMS is because NOAA and other members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) including PEW and EDF want to close the most productive areas of our oceans.
Here is a petition I created opposing VMS. Please sign and share it. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/930/791/778/support-for-alternatives-to-vessel-monitoring-systems/