Tonights meeting was interesting to say the least. The guy selling the VMS units was there telling everyone how wonderful this was going to be. Bet his commission check will be nice! There were about 12 people there for public comment. ???. I heard the council readily take credit for the “rebound” in the BSB population. Dont know wich way this will go - BUT the trolling captains that are ignoring this will regret this when VMS comes to their boats. If this passes the enviros will scream equal protection and win. Make your comment NOW
The council needs a serious wake up call, and the fishermen, comm rec inshore offshore, all need to get on the same page.
Thank you for defending our freedom natureboy! I will be at the NC meeting tomorrow. Were there any comments in favor of VMS? Everyone needs to at least submit a comment opposing VMS even if they cannot make a meeting. It does not take any longer than submitting a post on here. Here is the email address to submit comments. sgamend30comments@safmc.net
I attended the meeting and it was interesting that there were just about as many SAFMC staff there as general public. Some of those who made comments were from Florida, Georgia, and NC. Was good to hear a passionate comment from Mr. Griffin and why he opposes VMS. There was a short presentation by Gregg Waugh of the proposal (I noticed some information in the presentation had changed from the full text of Amend 30 posted as of a couple weeks ago, mainly the VMS unit costs were updated). Mel Bell was the moderator of sorts. Was surprised that there was a short Q&A session between Waugh and some of those in attendance. Just when the Q&A started to stump Mr. Waugh on technical questions pertaining to real life scenarios proposed by some of the commercial guys, the session was over and moved to the public comment portion.
One of the more constructive comments by someone in opposition to VMS was that if one of the functions of vessel monitoring is to improve stock assessment data, how can an hourly reporting system of a vessels location provide any more detail of catch and discards than the logbooks that are currently required? How does knowing where the vessel is in real-time have any benefit to stock assessment? This was not really answered and bounced back to the benefit of if we know where you fish then we will not have to close such a wide area when creating new MPAs.
Great to also meet Tom Swatzel. He informed me that yesterday (I believe) SC General Assembly had passed legislation that officially opposes VMS.
I also noticed something that just displays a poor attempt at representation by Chairman Cupka.
When I arrived at 5:15pm, the SG AP meeting was apparently wrapping up. As I am about to walk into the building, I noticed who I am almost certain was Cupka walking out of the building. He got in his minivan and took off.
I did not see him return for the VMS meeting from 5:30 to 7:00.
If I am understanding this right.the chairman had better things to do than to attend the full s
I didnt notice Cupkas rude behavior - but in the history of scoping meetings, this and sleeping are typical behavior from the chairman.
Mawhee, thanks for your noting my comments to the council.I’m Carl Griffin. Did you notice Gregg try to claim the councils “successfull rebuilding” of BSB stocks? He has always been a cheerleader for more restrictions. He did shift gears rapidly when the guys started asking the tough questions. The facts is that VMS is wrong. It violates the Bill Of Rights and will lead to the end of fishing. Makes one wonder when the whole offshore fishing community will ever get on the same page. Perhaps it will happen when the council makes Georgetown Hole into a closed MPA (type 1)
Here is a little good news for the NC meeting. State Senator Norman Sanderson has issued a public comment for me to deliver opposing VMS. I am trying to get the NC Legislature to pass a resolution like SC did. We need to coordinate our efforts to fight VMS and MPAs. I have been fighting for over three years now and know how we can win. It is simply a matter of informing enough people while giving them an EASY way to support or oppose various issues. Please reply to this post or PM me if you are interested in discussing ways we can help each other. I may never fish the Georgetown Hole, but I don’t want you to lose your freedom to fish there or lose my freedom to fish the Big Rock off NC.
We had over 30 people turn out for the meeting in New Bern. After talking with NC council members, it seems as if the momentum is on our side. We CAN stop VMS IF we keep the pressure on. Anyone want to discuss ways we can keep the pressure on this issue and stopping new MPAs?
The official comment period may be ending, but we do not have to be quiet and wait. I have postcards opposing VMS, MPAs, and Catch Shares that are addressed to individual council members. The postcards also support positive alternatives like enhancing existing MPAs with artificial reef habitat and marking them with data buoys or platforms equipped with cameras that would monitor any vessel entering a closed area. I am looking for people in different states to get some of the postcards signed and sent in. Let me know if you are interested.
I think we have made progress, but it is VERY important for us to keep the pressure on. The vote could go either way. Would you like some of the postcards?
What have you heard about how they will vote? Have you asked your members of Congress to send a letter opposing VMS? My Congressman sent one and I am working on getting my Senators to do so as well. Those letters carry considerable weight with the council.