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(2/24/2012) The Gloucester Times today reported
that both of Massachusetts' U.S. senators, Democrat John Kerry and
Republican Scott Brown, are anxious to speak with attendees at the
second national fishermen's rally to be held in Washington DC on March
21. The Keep Fishermen Fishing
rally in March has been organized since mid-January in an effort by
leaders from both the recreational and commercial fishing industries to
unite under one shared message, to 'reform Magnuson now.'
Efforts to incorporate
limited management flexibility in the federal fisheries law have been
underway since 2007, not long after the President signed off on the
Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act which helped
remove most abilities for regional fisheries councils to circumvent
rigid statutory requirements based on arbitrary schedules, incomplete
data and often random definitions.
Sen. Brown had just
been officially sworn in at about the time of the original United We
Fish rally two years ago today and made a surprise appearance at the
rally promising to educate himself about fisheries. Since then, Brown
has thrust himself into the fight with the Obama administration that
intensified over the two years since the initial event drawing around
5,000 industry representatives from all four coasts. Responding to the Gloucester Times piece, Sen. Brown said today via Twitter, "Looking forward to speaking at this year's fishing rally."
The effectiveness of
that bipartisan (Democrat and Republican, commercial and recreational)
coalition has been somewhat limited by key Democrats' unwillingness to
press their own party's president for real, practical changes in
fisheries regulation and management, though today's announcement by Sen.
Kerry in support of the upcoming rally is indication that things may be
about to change in favor of the fishermen.
"Sen. Kerry believes that additional flexibility is needed to help our fishermen," said his spokeswoman, Whitney Smith.
"(Fishermen) don't
care about politics," Kerry said in an email obtained by the Gloucester
Times. "They just want to be able to make a living, and Washington needs
to hear them and talk to them in a way that's honest and fair."
"They don't expect
Washington to solve their problems," he added, "but they sure as hell
expect Washington to understand their problems and talk to them with
respect."
"We would be honored
to have Sen. Kerry attend the rally in support of pragmatic Magnuson
reform," said Jim Donofrio, executive director of the Recreational
Fishing Alliance (RFA), a primary organizer and sponsor of the Keep Fishermen Fishing
rally set for March 21 at Upper Senate Park in DC. "This is a jobs
issue for U.S. recreational and commercial fishing industry folks."
RFA and fellow
organizers have said they are keeping a mostly open invitation for other
Members of Congress who would like to address the fleet expected to
arrive at Upper Senate Park in DC on the morning of March 21, a date
picked specifically when Congress was in session. Bus efforts are
currently underway in New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Florida to transport fishermen to and from the event, which
RFA expects to pick up momentum in the days ahead.
"We've talked
personally with many fishing clubs, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic
region who are contacting local car rental agencies like Hertz and
Enterprise to find out about van rentals to take smaller groups of 10 to
20," said Jim Hutchinson, RFA's managing director, who added "there are
several bigger charter buses already set up to take large groups from
some of the popular charter and headboat ports."
New York buses planned
thus far leave Point Lookout and Sheepshead Bay and have been donated
by captains aboard the F/V Stirs, party boats Marilyn Jean, Brooklyn VI
and the Ocean Eagle as well as FishingUnited.com. In New Jersey, the
Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund has four buses leaving Bogan's
Boat Basin and Wildwood Fishing Center. Ocean Isle Fishing Center in
North Carolina has put together a bus effort in Ocean Isle Beach while
Tailwalker Marine is planning to leave Georgetown, SC early on the day
of the event. Meanwhile, Raffield Fisheries is organizing a bus effort
out of Panama City in Florida leaving on Tuesday, March 20.
"Grassroots organizers are busy filling seats, and RFA is encouraging anglers to visit the Keep Fishermen Fishing
website to get those buses packed so that we can add more in the coming
days," Hutchinson said. While organizers key in on the bus efforts
around the country, the Members of Congress who are interested in
addressing the thousands of fishermen expected to assemble at Upper
Senate Park in March are encouraged to look closely at the legislation
now being addressed in the House Natural Resources Committee to reform
the federal fisheries law.
"The legislators who
are committed to addressing the issues vital to all of our coastal
fishing regions are those who are committed to putting forth the
language contained in HR3061 to help provide relief from excessive
regulations being experienced in many different stocks from New England
cod to Gulf red snapper, that's who we're hoping will join us on stage
in March," Donofrio said.
HR3061, the Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011, is sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and has the support of 14 additional bipartisan, coastal co-sponsors including Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY), Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Donna Christensen (D-VI), Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI), Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC), Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL), Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) and Rep. Bob Turner (R-NY).
In addition to
extending rebuilding timelines in certain situations (which could have a
dramatic impact on the New England cod situation), HR3061 would also
allow the Secretary of Commerce to suspend rigid annual catch limits and
accountability measures for fish stocks where science and data is
lacking, calls for socioeconomic impact studies when certain management
decisions are made, and would require the National Research Council to
perform another comprehensive review of the NOAA recreational data
collection programs which were to have been completed as of 2009.
"This is responsible
Magnuson reform that truly addresses the science and statistical
deficiencies at NOAA and better balances commerce with conservation,
something that our coastal fishing communities have always supported,"
said Donofrio. "This is about access to healthy, sustainable fisheries, a
message which all fishermen should be proud to unite behind."
For more information about the rally including bus departure information, visit www.keepfishermenfishing.com.
About Recreational Fishing Alliance
The Recreational Fishing Alliance is a national,
grassroots political action organization representing recreational
fishermen and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries
issues. The RFA Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater
anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the
long-term sustainability of our Nation's saltwater fisheries. For more information, call 888-JOIN-RFA or visit www.joinrfa.org.
