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Chromer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Portland
Posts: 663
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The true value of sportfishing
This was posted on a California sportfishing website. I think it has some great ideas.
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 11:25:24 -0800
From: Tom Mattusch <hulicatsport@earthlink.net>
Subject: Sportfishing Leadership Conference
Randy Fry and Tom Mattusch, owner/operator, HULICAT charter fishing boat, Half Moon Bay, CA, attended a meeting called Sportfishing Leadership Conference in Florida. It was held in conjunction with numerous federal government leaders and authorities related to fisheries management, fishing organizations and fishing manufacturing dealers. Coastside, RFA, United Anglers, GGFA, SAC, IGFA, Billfish Association, American Sportfishing Association, marine publications, members from academia and consultants were in attendance as well.
Fishing in the United States involves 17 million anglers and brings in roughly $31 Billion. That is more people than participate in baseball, tennis or camping, for a perspective.
Nationally, 3% of fish are taken recreationally, 97% commercially.
"Many men go fishing their whole lives without realizing it is not the fish they are after." Henry David Thoreau
A gag order was requested in order to start a communication with the feds. We were requested not to have a 'he said, she said' reporting of the meeting. This was the first of what is hoped to continue.
The Federal reps stated they needed more recreational statistics. There was talk and agreement to have the Assistant Administrator, Bill Hogarth, start to meet with recreational representatives quarterly.
Among the things we learned, environmental groups have already been doing this. Helps explain the environmental slant our legislation has taken. Objections to MPA's and understanding them are not unique to California.
The need for lobbying by recreational anglers to our elected officials is clearly demonstrated by our federal budget. There are only three lines relating to recreational fishing. Our legislators do not know how important this is to us.
Arizona is treating anglers like customers. Those of us who have businesses should relate to this. Arizona has a marketing plan with performance measures and project evaluation, as well as multiyear strategic planning. Promote and support angling. Fish don't care - people care.
Arizona surveys anglers, has focus groups, studies through universities. Arizona has an in-reach program. The purpose is to get the department to see how important this is.
Executive order 12962 was passed in 1995 to provide for increased recreational opportunities nationwide. Conflicts have arisen with MPA orders that shut down opportunity.
Advocacy for marine reserves is far ahead of the need for marine reserves. One member noted attending a session on marine reserves and said it was clear that the room was full of people who believed reserves were a good concept and were grasping for some data to show it. Nothing in the documentation some scientists had seen provides any evidence that proposed marine reserves will benefit the fishermen.
Numerous sport representatives noted how anglers are the leading conservationists for their sport. Anglers are a primary stakeholder in the management of aquatic and marine resources.
It was clearly evident federal groups were enamoured with MRFSS data and such could not be said for angling groups. I met with leaders related to MRFSS to offer support for improvement. I mentioned ideas about self reporting.
Magnuson-Stevens Act came up a few times. While it is in the process of re-authorization, it became clear to government reps recreational angling needs to be further recognized.
California has approved a Rigs to Reefs program where existing oil rigs would be de-commissioned but not totaling removed, in order to provide reef structure for fish. Although the oil companies agreed to subsidize this heavily, Davis vetoed the bill (SB1). The bill represented one of the rare instances where environmental, recreational and commercial interests all came together in agreement before Davis vetoed.
There was discussion on Allocation Creep. This discussed failures and exploitation bias in federal fishery management programs. For over three decades government has been converting healthy recreational fisheries into abused commercial fisheries that take too many fish too fast.
Current buy back programs were discussed, however like the shrimp industry; even a substantial buyback will not change numbers too much too fast. A 40% fleet reduction would allow the left over participants to harvest the same amount of shrimp. California saw this with the cabezon.
During the 1980's commercial operations accounted for 80% of the annual boccacio harvest. As the years passed and stocks declined, commercial landings declined while the recreational catch remained fairly constant. Now it is incorrectly portrayed that recs take the majority by ignoring the ten to 20 fold harvest differential that existed in the 1980's.
MPA's are merely one tool among many to manage fish stocks. MPA's have not been shown to be more effective than traditional management measures (size, bag limits, seasons, gear, etc). MPA's can be an effective angler conservation tool if done correctly as part of a larger fishery management plan. MPA's should be justified, warranted and from the onset, the recreational fishing community must be part of the integral process. Some of these principles are outlined in Freedom To Fish legislation.
Thoughts on the Sport of Fishing
"All Americans believe that they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste for fishing would be like denouncing motherlove and hating moonlight" John Steinbeck
"Fishing offers so many different thing I enjoy, I can't single out one particular reason why I like to fish - but boy, it's been great for me."
Ted Williams
"Every time the line starts to run off the reel, slowly first, then with a scream of the click as the rod bends and you fell it double and the
huge weight of the friction of the rushing through the depth of water while you pump and reel, pump and reel, trying to get that belly out of the line before the fish jumps, there is always a thrill that needs no danger to make it real." Ernest Hemingway
There is the story of the Wall Street broker who is quite an angler. He lives for his weekend and vacations so he can fish. A friend once asked him if he thought it was an escape from reality? "Certainly no," he
said. "It's an escape from the routine, hectic, stressful world, to reality. Fishing is more real to me than Wall Street." Story recount to
Charles Fox
"I can't think of any more fun than taking my two little boys out fishing." Jack Nicholas
[ 03-03-2003, 09:41 PM: Message edited by: Sensei-san ]
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Mark Mc
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