FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2009
CONTACT: Ted Venker, 1-800-201-FISH
Anglers rally to defeat proposal for commercial sector to kill more fish
Coastal Conservation Association commends the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) for denying a proposal to increase the commercial harvest of striped bass at its meeting this week in Newport, Rhode Island. The proposal would have allowed commercial fishermen to add at least half of their uncaught commercial striped bass quota to their quota for the following year. Many anglers from CCA Maine made the journey to Newport to express their concern over the status of this important fish, and their voice made a difference.
“The Striped Bass Board understands that anglers at the north and south of the striped bass range are not seeing the numbers of fish they saw even just a few years ago,” said Richen Brame, CCA’s Atlantic States fisheries director. “There is cause for concern and we commend the ASMFC for taking a conservative approach.”
In its formal comments before the ASMFC against the proposal, CCA cited several disturbing trends in the striped bass fishery, including a dramatic decrease in the number of striped bass caught and released by recreational fishermen, particularly in the northeastern states of New Hampshire and Maine, the prevalence of the fatal disease Mycobacteriosis among the Chesapeake Bay spawning stock, and a Fish and Wildlife Service annual survey that encountered the fewest striped bass in the survey’s history.
“While officially the stock is not overfished and not undergoing overfishing, there are signs that the overall abundance is declining,” said Brame. “The proposed action to allow the commercial industry to take more fish was not a remedy for any of the problems we are seeing with striped bass. Increasing abundance is what will fix those problems.”
While the motion was defeated by a vote of 8-6, the margin of the victory means recreational anglers will have to maintain vigilance at the ASMFC to protect the recovery of striped bass.
“After the vote on the original motion, there was immediately another motion to allow the commercial sector to rollover 25 percent of their uncaught harvest to the next year, which was also defeated,” said Brame. “We will continue to see efforts like this and it was very encouraging to hear Board members remark on the number of comments they received against this proposal from the public. Our members will have to be ready to stand up for conservation.”
The following states voted against the rollover proposal: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Voting for the proposal were Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, North Carolina and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Fish and Wildlife Service abstained.
Click HERE to see CCA’s comments to the ASMFC on this issue.
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CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. Visit www.JoinCCA.org for more information.
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We will be able to accept comments and questions on this issue until November 10, and selected comments may be posted below. Thank you.
Ted Venker
Newsroom Moderator
Hooyaaa! That’s Navy Diver for good! Now if we can get the new Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to reverse the confiscation of recreational license monies, we moving in the right direction. Many thanks for your organizational efforts. As long as you continue this type of activity you will keep my support.
– Ben B.
Can there be any justification for rolling over quotas to the following just because commercial fishermen failed to catch their quota for the preceding year? The limits are there for a reason.
- Don Duvall
CONGRATS TO EVERYONE WHO WORKED SO HARD TO ACCOMPLISH THIS!!!!!! Let’s keep on working on these issues, and stay on top of our elected officials who, sometimes, forget who put them in office
- Josh W.
Tags: anglers, ASMFC, atlantic, commercial sector, Newport, Rhode Island, striped bass
Posted in CCA Atlantic States | No Comments »
Anglers highlight important warning signs for the conservation of Atlantic striped bass
Recreational anglers are opposing a plan currently before the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) that would increase commercial striped bass harvest. The proposal would allow commercial fishermen to add at least half, and possibly as much as all, of their uncaught commercial striped bass quota to the commercial quota for the following year. This unusual move could negatively impact the conservation of this important species at a time when the continuing recovery of the stock is in question.
“Many factors suggest that the striped bass stock may be in decline, so this is clearly not the time to be figuring out how to allow the commercial sector to kill more fish,” said Richen Brame, Atlantic States Fisheries Director for Coastal Conservation Association (CCA). “This time would be better spent trying to figure out what is going on with the stock and identify the causes for the decline. We should be pursuing a precautionary strategy, not loosening the harvest regulations for the commercial sector.”
In its formal comments before the ASMFC against the proposal, CCA cited several disturbing trends in the striped bass fishery, including a dramatic decrease in the number of striped bass caught by recreational fishermen, particularly in the northeastern states of New Hampshire and Maine, the prevalence of the fatal disease Mycobacteriosis among the Chesapeake Bay spawning stock, and a Fish and Wildlife Service annual survey that encountered the fewest striped bass in the survey’s history.
“We should not be trying to increase harvest of this valuable resource; we should be expressing concern about its long-term health and viability,” said Charles A. Witek, chairman of CCA’s Atlantic States Fisheries Committee. “Striped bass have been the crown jewel of ASMFC’s fisheries management program. It appears now that some of that luster is fading and precautionary management is needed to prevent any further deterioration of the stock. At a time when we should be critically reviewing the next steps to conserve this species, the ASMFC is trying to maximize commercial take.”
Click HERE to see CCA’s comments to the ASMFC on this issue.
Posted in CCA Atlantic States | No Comments »
Saltwater licenses begin to hit anglers
By Chris Gatley
ESPNOutdoors.com
September 21, 2009
Is this what a picture from a New York waterway is going to look like once the Recreational Marine Fishing License is mandated in two weeks? If the nominal fee of $10 rapidly increases like the State of California’s marine license, who knows for certain?
Last Wednesday, I opened my mail to a letter requiring already licensed party and charter boat operators for the State of New York to purchase an additional license they call the Recreational Marine Fishing License. It costs $400.
Commonly thought of as a saltwater Fishing license by the angling public, my research tells me that major confusion lies on the horizon as this is clearly a vehicle by some northeast states to create extra revenues through existing saltwater fisherman.
To clear up any confusion on this topic, I called my good friend, Jim Hutchinson, Managing Director for the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).
Hutchinson and the RFA are well-known for pulling up their sleeves and battling for the rights of the angling public. He informed me that The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has required all states to keep a registry of saltwater anglers.
This registry is simply a phone book of saltwater anglers listing their name, contact information and states fished. The purpose of this registry is to obtain detailed data on fisheries information, to better track populations, migrations and other pertinent data through current saltwater anglers.
Currently, Delaware, Virginia, Connecticut and New York comply with the federal mandate. Or do they?
“This is a complicated matter as some states are using this registry as a means to push an actual license onto the books,” Hutchinson said. “The RFA has pending legislation in the works in states like New Jersey to create and adopt a program they call ‘FIN,’ or Fisherman Identification Number.
FIN closely resembles the Harvest Information Program (HIP) currently used by duck hunters. This serves as a reference guide on registry entrant costs. Currently, the cost for HIP is $2 per entrant.
“FIN will cost each entrant roughly $2, just like the existing HIP platform,” Hutchinson said. “Some states here in the northeast, such as Connecticut and New York, are using this registry requirement to pass a saltwater license; ultimately raising additional revenues to be used by that independent state how they see fit.”
The additional fees have hit at an inopportune time for some.
“We all knew this was coming” said Capt. Frank Masseria of Vitamin Sea Charters in Tottenville, N.Y.
“But to inform charter captains that in two weeks we must purchase a $400 license is absurd, especially since the season here in New York is over sooner than it starts.
“For instance, the state is closing our tautog season in mid-December, the heart of our season and they want $400 now.”
The State of New York requires this recreational marine fishing license starting Oct. 1. This license must be renewed on Jan. 1, 2010. In New York, recreational anglers are required to pay a nominal fee at $10 for all New York residents while charter captains must pay $400 annually.
Like Capt. Masseria, I am a charter captain and I personally thought of this registry as a license. Plus, most saltwater anglers I talk with think of this registry as a saltwater fishing license. To the angling public, these two words — registry and license — are synonymous, not really a big deal.
However, Hutchinson informs me that they are two separate issues. NOAA has asked for a registry, a phone book of names that the RFA says can be handled for $2 per entrant. It appears that individual states here in the northeast are taking this opportunity to add extra monies on top of that registry and passing this license onto all saltwater anglers.
States that are currently without any form of registration include Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey. Connecticut, Delaware, Virgina and New York currently have a requirement in place. Beginning Oct. 1, all anglers who wish to fish New York saltwater waterways must possess a Recreational Marine Fishing License.
CCA New York Response on Saltwater Licenses
by Charles A. Witek
CCA New York
We read the article “Saltwater licenses begin to hit anglers” on ESPN Outdoors.com with some interest. Unfortunately, some of the information contained in it was somewhat misleading.
Federal law requires all anglers who fish in federal waters (more than 3 miles offshore) or who catch anadromous fish (those that live in salt water but spawn in freshwater rivers) after January 1, 2010 to be “registered.” A state fishing license which meets federal requirements will meet the registration requirement, while anglers who fish in states that do not offer a qualifying license will have to obtain a federal registration. In 2010, such federal registration will be free, but beginning in 2011, the federal government will be permitted to charge a fee that most believe will be somewhere between $15 and $30.
As was noted in the article, there is a difference between “registration” and a state licensing program. “Registration” only requires that certain information be collected by the state or federal government, and only of anglers participating in certain fisheries. State licensing is a more comprehensive program that limits the privilege of fishing in marine waters to license holders. To that extent, Coastal Conservation Association agrees with what the article says. However, beyond that point, the article leaves many things unsaid.
Specifically addressing the New York issue, it is true that charter and party boats will be required to purchase a $400 license. However, representatives of New York’s for-hire industry, including the Recreational Fishing Alliance, supported such vessel license in lieu of a requirement that all anglers on board hold individual licenses (in the interests of candor, please note that CCA’s New York chapter also supported the vessel license.) It was a calculated business decision, arising out of a calculation that the $400 boat license would, in the end, be a lesser cost than the combination of lost business and administrative overhead arising out of an individual licensing requirement. Thus, no for-hire vessel should complain if the state imposed a requirement that the industry asked for.
Taking a broader view, the argument that a free state registration is a viable alternative to a license and related fee is stretching reality a bit. Certainly, bills to that effect might be introduced in state legislators, either by legislators who wish to appease their constituents or those with a philosophical objection to government control of natural resources, but it is highly doubtful that even the authors of such bills expect them to be signed into law.
In today’s economic environment, when state budget deficits run into the billions of dollars, it is difficult to imagine any responsible governor who would agree to either further burden the budget with an additional budget program or take scarce resources away from state fisheries managers in order to fund a registration program that anglers are unwilling to fund for themselves.
While the article cites the “free” Hunter Information Program as a model for angler registration, it omits the facts that duck hunters are required to pay not only for a state hunting license, but for a federal Migratory Bird Stamp (which was initiated at the insistence of sportsmen), thus providing more than adequate funding which allows such “free” programs to be offered.
In fact, with the exception of salt water anglers along the northeast coast, sportsmen have long been willing to fund some of the expenses of managing the resources essential to their sport. It must be difficult for a fresh water angler to comprehend the arguments against a salt water license which, in the last analysis, allows an angler to fish all season for the price of a case of cheap beer or perhaps, for the teetotaler, three gallons of marine gas.
To suggest that New York’s $10 license fee will materially reduce the number of New York anglers is to suggest that anglers place a very low value on their sport. That’s certainly not true of CCA’s New York members, and we don’t believe that it’s true of anglers anywhere. However, if it is, and anglers are willing to abandon their sport over a mere $10 bill, then angling is facing a much bigger problem than a mere license fee.
Tags: federal registry, fishing license, new york fishing license, recreational data, saltwater license
Posted in CCA Atlantic States | No Comments »
