Fighting for 

YOUR FISHING RIGHTS and

THE FUTURE OF RECREATIONAL FISHING

REVISED TALKING POINTS HERE  Text is below. 

Recreational grouper anglers unprecedented new restrictions on Gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico.  The proposed 80% reduction in landings will cause untold economic and social devastation while while being biologically unnecessary.  With the gag biomass (estimated total weight of all gag in the Gulf of Mexico) at a 35 year high and continuing to expand, we face total recreational closure for a year or more.

Base on fatally flawed data and ridiculous assumptions, the Gulf faces a loss of $2 billion dollars in economic activity per year.  Sound science, not science fiction, needs to guide decisions. 

Do you believe that effort has not gone down?  These are the numbers that are being used to estimate how much fish the recreational sector landed.  These estimates are obviously wrong, yet they are used to close down healthy fisheries.

 Examples of best available SCIENCE FICTION:

Red tide killed ONE THIRD of all Gulf grouper in 2005. 

 Individual Fishing Quotas are good for fishermen and the fish

Recreational fishing effort remains high through 2009

Recreational data collection has improved

The issue of a few charter captains stealing your right to fish, which they will then rent back to you, is coming at us under 'sector separation'. 

We are recreational or commercial.  There is no middle ground.  Time to make that point clear.

The National Marine Fisheries Service claim of improving data collection is a broken record that has played for a decade. There is no excuse for this failure to improve data collection. 

Hear more during our live broadcast this Sunday, January 10th at 7PM, when the FRA presents a live explanation of the issued while offering you tools with which to take action.  Click here for the live broadcast page, which is password protected.  The password will be sent to FRA mailing list members.  Not on our mailing list?   email us here

We will post talking points here for you to download or print.  In the meantime, here is the scoping document

SCOPING DOCUMENT AMEND 32

The FRA will broadcast live on Sunday night, delivering an explanation of the issues as well as how you can defend your right to fish.  We will also be attempting to broadcast all of the meetings through our expanding video associate network.  The FRA is always looking for new video associates who can broadcast or record various meetings.

Short version of FRA suggested talking points for Gulf Amendment 32

Say it five times fast

MAGNUSON – STEVENS …

Surprising how many people who are in the process mistakenly say stevenson when referring to the act.

Again- five times fast

MAGNUSON-STEVENS…

The points

Fatally flawed MRFSS data and Red Tide science fiction are about to unnecessarily cause a $2 billion dollar annual loss to Gulf States, including thousands of jobs.

Red Tide DID NOT kill 20-30% of all gulf grouper in 2005.

Fatally flawed data is overestimating recreational fishing effort and landings.  These fatally flawed overestimates are about to cause damaging closures.

Annual Catch Limits (ACL), Annual Catch Targets (ACT) and the resulting Accountability Measures (AM) cannot rely on fatally flawed data, nor can ACL’s, ACT’s and AM’s be developed until information from the new rec reporting system is useable, according to Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act.

There are two pending lawsuits regarding this ignoring of Magnuson.  We will not be taken for a ride.

The attempt to hide a reduction is our Maximum Sustainable Yield through the use of the ABC-acronym shell game did not go unnoticed.

Efforts should be made in improving data collection and recreational estimates, per the Magnuson-Stevens Act. 

Why do accountability measures only go one way – against the angler?

When accountability measures are created, they must include not just taking away but giving back.

Current rec estimates are not even complete until halfway through the following year.  Better estimates are years away. No Accountability Measures would be reliable or acceptable until recreational estimates are improved.

Commercial Red Snapper discards due to IFQ's are ignored.  WHY?  It has been reported as excessive by most commercial operators.

This is a whitewash job that ignores HUGE numbers of dead discards.

We have called for a 24” gag minimum size for years.  Discard mortality will not cause the landings to increase. 

We feel ignored on this issue.

Keeping the first fish caught is another attempt to kill recreational fishing effort.

Individual fish tags for use in identifying legal possession of recreational catch have no history and hold no promise.  Spend the money fixing the fatally flawed system of recreational estimates.

The Council’s new data collection committee is stacked with catch share advocates and non-resident advocates.

97% of Gulf recreational fishing trips are shore or private/rental boat trips captained by non-professional anglers.  Where is the 33 to 1 ratio of private to pro/hired captains? 

Individual Fishing Quotas have caused the HUGE commercial bycatch of Red Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico to be ignored.  Why?

First fish caught is another attempt to eliminate fishing effort at all costs. The idea completely ignores the biological implications, much like the commercial Red Snapper IFQ idea.

Sector separation – 97% of Gulf recreational anglers and 90% of licensed professional captains agree-

Separate what?  The recreational angler from his right to fish?  From his money when he has to rent that right to fish from another?

Separate those greedy individuals from the recreational angler. 

There are only two sectors where catch is concerned:  Commercial and recreational.  For profit or for fun.

9

Hearing locations and dates

All meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. & conclude no later than 9:00 p.m.

Monday  January 11, 2010

**Monroe County Harvey Govt Center

1200 Truman Avenue

Key West, FL 33040

Holiday Inn

5002 Seawall Boulevard

Galveston, TX 77551

409-740-3581

Tuesday  January 12, 2010

Best Western

7921 Lamar Poole Road

Biloxi, MS 39532

228-875-7111

*Hilton

950 Lake Carillon Drive

St. Petersburg, FL 33716

727-540-0050

Wednesday  January 13, 2010

**Ramada Inn

4760 S. Cleveland Avenue

Ft. Myers, FL 33907

239-275-1111

Fairfield Inn & Suites

3111 Loop Road

Orange Beach, AL 36561

251-513-4444

Thursday  January 14, 2010

*The Boardwalk

9600 S. Thomas Dr.

Panama City, FL 32408

850-234-2154

Tuesday  January 19, 2010

Crowne Plaza

2829 Williams Road

Kenner, LA 70062

504-467-5611

A Note on Scoping from the Gulf Council:
Scoping is the process of identifying issues, potential impacts, and reasonable alternatives associated with the issue at hand.  It provides the first and best opportunity for the public to make
suggestions or to raise issues and concerns before the council begins developing an amendment.

* Note a scoping meeting format change for these meetings. Two rooms will be used - one room where participants can get
answers to questions about the proposed amendment, and the other room for participants to provide input.

** Note a scoping meeting format change for these meetings. An informal roundtable discussion regarding the proposed
amendment will be held during the first hour of the meeting, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Public input will be taken beginning no
later than 7:00 p.m. and ending no later than 9:00 p.m. 

Written comments may be submitted to the address below, or via email to: Amendment32@gulfcouncil.org
Comments should be received by January 26, 2010.