Sportfisher Nomination to PFMC: URGENT!

[Mark Mc]

I am pleased to introduce to all you Salty Dogs, Darrell Ticehurst. Darrell has been nominated to the PFMC by CA Governor Davis as the CA rep. Darrell is a true sportfisher, not affiliated with any commercial interest. Darrell will be posting here shortly to tell you more about himnself & answer questions.

THE POINT OF THIS TOPIC: This is one of those once or twice a year requests for all of you, and your fishing friends, to help the cause by writing letters of support for Darrell's nomination. You may say "but he's a Californian!"
This is a federal position, you don't have to be a CA resident to have a voice on this! Besides, Darrell was born & raised in the NW. He is one of us! The RFA is endorsing him, along with other sportfishing groups. Please read the following release, along with contact names for letters at bottom. Thank you! Mark Mc p.s. I heard the e-mails for the gov't folks are case sensitive (should be lower case)
---------------------------------
Quote from Bob Franko & Randy Fry, Coastside Fishing Club website:


"......The door has opened just a crack, and we MUST take advantage of this. I'm talking about our own member Darrell Ticehurst becoming a member on the PFMC. This committe has more to do with shaping our fishing lives than anything else out there. By now most of you know he was nominated out of the state ranked number one, with a commercial representative ranked second, but anything can happen. It's imperative with our letters
we let the commercially oriented people in Washington DC know he is our choice.

I'm asking two things in regards to this (1) send a letter, a note, a sentence. Don't take the easy way out on this one, if you can send a hard copy rather than a e-mail, please do it.(2) I am posting below this a press release, if any of you have friends in the press, please send it to them. Feel free to send to any news publication. Let them know that Darrell is our guy, and can be reached for interviews at 650-347-5919.

The TWO people I need your letters to go to are at the bottom of the following press release.

I know I can count on you.

Bob Franko

RFA-NorCal is pleased to announce that longtime RFA member, Darrell Ticehurst, has been nominated by California Governor Gray Davis as his first choice to fill the obligatory California seat on the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC). We are pleased to have this oppportunity to have a representative at the federal level that doesn't have a financial interest in the fisheries. The vast majority of marine anglers fish from small skiffs, kayaks, or from the shoreline as divers and bank anglers and Ticehurst will represent their interests within the Council.

"Mr. Ticehurst's nomination to the PFMC by Governor Davis fills a gap in the representation of the everyday, individual angler on the federal panel," said Randy Fry, RFA-NorCal Chair. "We'd like to thank Governor Davis for this opportunity to better represent the interests of California's 2.4 million recreational anglers at the federal level."

A Silicon Valley business veteran and co-founder of the Web-based insurance marketplace Insweb (NASDAQ--INSW), he retired from the company in 2000. He has been a longtime member of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, The Billfish Foundation, Tournament Anglers Association, is a representative for the International Game Fish Association, and is a member of the Coastside Fishing Club. He is active in west coast fishery issues and is dedicated to improving the fishing experience for recreational anglers. He fishes for rockfish, salmon and albacore, among other things, from his power catamaran, the NOOSACAT.

The PFMC sets total limits, fishing seasons and regulations for
federally managed marine fishery resources. Ticehurst was one of three candidates nominated for the post one of which will be selected for the seat . Fish processor Jim Caito from Fort Bragg,CA was term-limited out this year, creating the opening on the Council.

Bob Franko of the Coastside Fishing Club supported Ticehurst's
nomination. He has been endorsed by IGFA, the Tournament Anglers
Association and many other organizations. "This is the right time to appoint a recreational angler and Ticehurst is the right guy. He understands our issues and can express our view with a real passion for the fishery," said Franko.

Mr. Ticehurst has not been appointed yet, and needs to be approved by NMFS and the Bush administration. He will require a great deal of support from the recreational fishing community if we are to see him appointed. Recreational fishing is the largest section of the fishery economy and has been largely ignored by the commercially dominated NMFS and PFMC. The continuing erosion of our fishing season and the increasingly complex regulations must stop and that means we need someone on the Council to speak for us.

RFA worked hard to get Mr. Ticehurst nominated for this appointment and urges everyone to write letters of support. "This is our chance to be heard--the first time someone who understands our unique viewpoint has been nominated--and we need to support him," said RFA's Randy Fry.

Letters of support for Darrell Ticehurst's nomination to the PFMC should be addressed to:

Secretary Donald L. Evans
Office of the Secretary
Room 5516
U.S. Department of Commerce
14th & Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20230
Phone: 202-482-2000
Email: devans@doc.gov <mailto:devans@doc.gov>

A copy needs to be sent to :

Dr. Bill Hogarth
Deputy Director, NOAA
1315 East West Hwy.
Silver Spring, MD
20910
Phone:301 713 2239
Email: Bill.Hogarth@noaa.gov <mailto:Bill.Hogarth@noaa.gov>

[Noosacat]

Hello everybody,
I am a recreational angler from California that grew up in the Northwest--born in Port Angeles, Washington and lived in WA for 30 years. I've gotten active in fishing politics because I've seen where we are headed. The commercials abuse the ocean and can't seem to police themselves, and the enviros want to stop any kind of fishing--that means that we are going to end up holding a boat without an ocean unless we do something to explain why we recreational anglers are responsible, environmentally sound and make economic sense!

The commercial fishing interests take over 90% of the fish. The recreational angler accounts for over 90% of the economic impact in our states. Said another way, the commercial interests only contribute one tenth of the recreational anglers contribution to the state's economy, but they take ten times the fish. Now that there aren't enough fish to go around, who should be taking their share of the fish? It's clear to me that that it only makes sense that the ones who caused the problem, the ones who don't contribute to the economy, should bear the brunt of the burden in seeing that the fishery stocks recover. Recreational fishing should not be bearing the brunt of the recovery effort.

PFMC has presided over the decline of the fishery and we need a recreational voice in that council if we are going to save our sport. It is possible to recover the fishery stocks while a rod and reel recreational fishery continues, and it makes economic sense. RFA nominated me for this seat because they see the need for communicating this message to the PFMC.

As for me personally, I have a 35' power cat that I use for fishing the waters off Northern California. I fish for salmon, halibut, ling cod, albacore and whatever else seems like it will taste good. I put about 300 hours per year on my boat and also fish every year in Mexico and Alaska. I understand what it means to be out on the water and I want to help us be there to the maximum extent we can.

In order for recreational angling to have a voice on the PFMC I need the support of your letters to Washington DC sent to the two people Mark posted above. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Darrell Ticehurst

[puffins crew]

Welcome aboard, Noosacat.

Sounds to me like you are a "Salty Dog" from way back.

I will be sending letters via snail mail supporting you and our cause.

Peace, Tom

[ 03-27-2003, 10:00 AM: Message edited by: puffins crew ]

[edsr]

Noose-a-cat Not very PC - Welcome aboard - Letters are sent. Do good by us, we need someone in our corner during these negotiations.
edsr

[Noosacat]

Yeah, the name sounds strange, but it comes about because the cat was built in Noosa, Australia, a little town about 100 miles north of Brisbane.

Originally posted by edsr:
Noose-a-cat Not very PC - Welcome aboard - Letters are sent. Do good by us, we need someone in our corner during these negotiations.
edsr

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[Fishplay]

Welcome aboard Darrel. You have my full support. I will do everything in my power to assist you in your endevors. Thank you for excepting the nomination and the task that faces you.

[Pilar]

Many thanks Darrell, we need more experienced fishers like you who ar willing to walk the walk.

Hope to meet you at a fisheries meeting sometime soon.

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

Welcome aboard Darrell. I respect anyone who gets involved in politics for the benefit of all. I understand the time and effort you will need to put forth and I am willing to help in anyway. As the owner/operator of a charter vessel, I know how the commercial interests have dictated the management of the fisheries and how it has been a determent to recreational fishermen. Letters are to be sent and again, thanks for accepting the nomination. If I can be of any further help, just yell.

Captain Mike Stowe
C/V Blitz
Newport, OR

[Orca]

I'm in, lets hope for a bright future for sportsfishing.

[Popeye]

Good Luck Darrell.... [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]
This is what I sent.....
Sir,
Please accept my recommendation of Darrell Ticehurst's nomination to the PFMC. As an avid saltwater sport fisherman, I feel Darrell will be a tremendous asset to us, and the fisheries. It has been very difficult for us, as sportsmen, to have any say in the process of management of the fisheries without a "Voice". I, along with over 4600 members of Ifish.net, are deeply concerned about the future of the Sports Fisheries.
Thank you for your time,
Bruce A. Marler
President/CEO
Marler Enterprises Inc.

[OceanBlue]

Done! Thanks for posting Mark Mc. Welcome Noosacat (I didn't even notice that it sounded funny)

[corrirod]

Got them off today, good luck Darrel!

[puffins crew]

Sent out letters to each yesterday.

Thanks Mark Mc.

Go gett'm Darrell, [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] If we can help in any other way, please give us a shout out.

Peace, Tom

As an avid ocean fisherman, welcome aboard. Let me know if I can be of any assistance and say hello to fellow PFMC member "Branch Office" or better know as Steve W.

[South Paw]

Snail mail have more impact then email?

[Mark Mc]

Hi Southpaw,

Generally speaking yes, hard-copy letters seem to be taken a little more seriously than e-mail. Perhaps because it is so easy to copy & paste electronic memos ("form letters"). What some folks are doing is sending an e-mail that has at least some personal touch to it, and following it up with snail mail, even if it is a printed copy of the e-mail with a hand-written signature.

Thanks for asking; good question.

[Noosacat]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words. I go back to Washington in a couple of weeks to meet some of the people back there. I don't expect to hear about the appointment one way or another until June, so a lot can happen, but I know that the letters from so many of us has had an impact. Maybe we will really get lucky and start to change the direction!

Darrell
Noosacat

[Mark Mc]

Hi Darrell, nice to see you lurking here. Can you tell us if there is an approximate deadline for getting letters in, just in case some folks would still like to? Thanks again.....Mark

[edsr]

Darrell - Have sent a letter in your behalf some weeks ago.

Ques. - Would a second letter help or just clog things up?

edsr

[Mark Mc]

edsr, see the other post on same subject...He has been appointed!! Three cheers!

[Mark Mc]

ttt

[Mark Mc]

ttt - Dredging up a 13 month old post, as a reminder that we have at least one person on the PFMC main body with whom we are aqcuainted.

[Mark Mc]

ttt again. One down, one more to go.