Planned protest seeks Magnuson-Stevens reform

Posted on 25 January 2012

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Recreational and commercial fishermen will gather on March 21 near the U.S. Capitol in support of sensible reform of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act.

According to the Recreational Fishing Alliance, which is helping to organize this year's event, permitting efforts have been under way for weeks and official details about the organized protest will be made public in the coming days.

A rally on Feb. 24, 2010, under a United We Fish banner brought 5,000 recreational, commercial and party/charter vessel owners and others in associated businesses from all over the country to Washington. More than two dozen members of the Senate and the House of Representatives addressed the crowd.

The March 21 rally is being billed as Keep Fishermen Fishing, and once again it will unite the commercial and recreational sectors under one common message: “Reform Magnuson now.”

“Those who didn't attend or perhaps chose not to support the original rally are mostly unaware of the great things which were accomplished in between those two winter storms of 2010,” RFA executive director Jim Donofrio said in a statement. “Of the two dozen members of Congress who addressed our troops at the rally, several top legislators pushed to have Magnuson reform initiatives prioritized in Congress, which is why the House Natural Resources Committee is now reviewing eight different pieces of fisheries reform legislation.”

Citing a continuous stream of regulatory requirements that have led to unnecessary and unacceptable restrictions in demonstrably sustainable fisheries, organizers say the American public is being denied access to the food and fun of this tremendous natural resource.

“We've watched access to vital coastal fisheries like cod, summer flounder, black sea bass, red snapper, amberjack, gag grouper and others virtually destroyed during the past five years. This is clearly a huge jobs issue, which has already been recognized by House Speaker John Boehner,” Donofrio said.

"We are seeking bipartisan congressional support to fix our law, to put folks to work and specifically to keep our fishermen fishing,” he added.

Comments

4 Friday, 27 January 2012 11:43

By Dockman1

Hopefully, the Alliance will also share our concern with inland boaters and fisherman who are currently being forced out of Columbia and Snake Rivers by NMFS under the ESA provisions. The most recent NMFS action, disguised as the Pasco Shoreline Management Plan, is a 10 mile shoreline land grab preventing waterfront homeowners from owning ANY boat docks! Coordinated and enforced by the Walla Walla US Army Corps of Engineers, we have documented through the Freedom of Information Act their inability to provide any relevant science to support their extreme policies and need industry support to fight back. The most unfortunate part of this issue is State, County and Local agencies tend to adopt NMFS guidelines for fear of litigation by NMFS - thereby spreading this regulatory virus nationally if it remains unchecked. http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/10/28/2247698/army-corps-revises-dock-plan.html

3 Wednesday, 25 January 2012 22:02

By concerned citizen

NMFS motive are rooted in radical envirometalism, they are affecting not only fisherman, but HUGELY lowering sales of offshore fishing boats. Recreational fishermen are selling their previously used offshore boats, which DRAMATICALLY hurts the overall marine business. This whole scenerio fits perfectly into the take over of ever parts of people lives. This truly is an example of govt gone rogue!

2 Wednesday, 25 January 2012 20:11

By gofins

If, like you say, there is nothing to the concerns of the NMFS, then what would be the motive for them to deny fishing to these people?

1 Wednesday, 25 January 2012 17:23

By concerned citizen

The "gorilla" in the room is NMFS, they are and have been a "renegade" out of control, enviromentalist group which pushes "incomplete statistical analysis" under the guise of "the best science available" they use this ruze to take fishermen out of the oceans, acting with draconian strength, with political appointies whom answer only to themselves......once this renegade agency is closed, sane, concerned fishermen & citizens can work out differences easily.

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