Amendment No. 548 to H.R. 1 Jones Bill ; NO Catch Shares

Florida Guides Association

 A bill introduced recently by Congressman Jones could stop catch shares in its tracks. Please click the link below and send the letter or your own response to your individual congressmen in Washington. It has been sent to Senator's Nelson and Rubio, but when trying to send it to the members of the house it was impossible without individual zip+4 zip codes. So, you need to send a response to your congressman. Click Here to continue!

North Port/Venice/Lemon Bay Florida Report

North Port/Venice/Lemon Bay Florida Report

Snook, Redfish, Tarpon & Trout 

 

Snook are thicker than cordwood across El Jobean in the upper harbor as winter slips into spring on the inshore of Southwest Florida.

We started out dropping cut shrimp for Sheepshead, Whiting, Drum or Redfish in the deeper channels, of the skinnies of the harbor in our canoe. The Heads were uncooperative as the sun rose to warm the day and waters around us. My boat thermometer showed 70 degrees before the sun slitted the horizon and by mid-morning we were at 72 degrees in some hot bite action on a cool water day. Ladies to small juvenile tarpon were picking up our live medium shrimps on every cast. Sometimes as the shrimp parted the water, “FISH ON!” was the phrase as the fish hit the baits before the slip Bobber could come to rest and sometimes before the cork even touched the water!

As the day fleeted by and the noontime came and went, the water had warmed to a pleasant 74 degrees. Anchoring down our Mohawk, into the water we slipped in a wading frenzy with the Snook. Doing the sting-ray shuffle and dragging our bait bucket about brought to a couple of fin slicing Black tips in a dancing circle around us. Like a couple of kids at the zoo, we tossed out shrimp to these young fish, to which they frighteningly lashed out in a quick bite to eat. Foolish, maybe but they soon grew tired of us and disappeared into a large school of roaming mullet, to which was scattering to the four corners of the earth. We worked the area until just around threesome to call it a day. Edwin, said, “Hey Dad, I think I'll give'em a plate full,” as he rigged two live shrimp on a single hook to chunk out for that 'one last cast', when the drag was a screaming and the rod a bending to one big fish. Working the Trilene blue ten pound test on a Penn Combo spinning out fit, Edwin finally netted his “Last Cast,”, a 30 inch really nice Snook. No trout out there but a heck of a day while angling to get a catch and release Snook, to be a memory to never forget on light spinning tackle.

Reports also from Captain Mike Zegrabik and Bob Nordstrom of The Englewood Fishing Club, Englewood, Florida where they were in many a rat red up in the ferry area of South Venice popping shrimp under a cork. In the mix as well, were a number of juvenile redfish, making the hot action, nothing short of phenomenal. After angling upper north Lemon Bay and slaughtering the Specks, Bob and Capt. Mike worked the area around the Indian Mound Park area in catching more trout but this time, they were all in the 'Gator” scale of twenty to twenty one inches long with shoulders. Hungary to the bite, Capt. Mike said they polished off 17 dozen shrimp in four hours, fattening up a whole lotta fish!

“FISH ON!”

Story Developing, on the Englewood Fishing Club & Captain Mikes Charters at The Online Fisherman...

On Catch Shares - Ahab's Journal

On Catch Shares - Ahab's Journal
At the 2009 Milken Institute Global Conference, which was held in Los
Angeles, the new EDF vice president, David Festa, pitched catch shares
to wealthy, would-be investors by projecting a 400% return on their
investments.

NOAA NEWS RELEASE: NEW Red Snapper Quotas in the Gulf of Mexico

Attached is the subject Southeast Fishery Bulletin announcing:

NOAA is Seeking Comments on a Proposed Rule to Increase the Red Snapper Quotas in the Gulf of Mexico

Please Note: "Comment period will begin on February 22"

You can also access this bulletin on our Web site at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov
Go to the left hand side of the page and click on the Fishery Bulletins Link.
Additional Questions: Contact RICH MALINOWSKI or the Sustainable Fisheries Division at 727-824-5305

NOAA is Seeking Comments on a Proposed Rule to Increase the
Red Snapper Quotas in the Gulf of Mexico
NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would adjust the commercial and recreational red snapper quotas in the Gulf of Mexico from 3.542 and 3.403 million pounds (MP) to 3.66 and 3.525 MP in 2011, respectively. A recent red snapper assessment update projected overfishing (rate of removal is too high) ended in 2009, and therefore, the total allowable catch can be increased from the existing 6.945 MP to 7.185 MP. This action was evaluated in a regulatory amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed rule publishes in the Federal Register on February 22, 2011, with the comment period ending March 24, 2011.
If the amendment is approved, the final rule may contain NOAA Fisheries Service’s estimated projection for the number of days in the 2011 recreational fishing season.
Request for Comments
Written comments on this proposed rule to increase the red snapper commercial and recreational quotas must be received no later than March 24, 2011, to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service. See the Addresses section for information on where and how to submit comments. All comments received by NOAA Fisheries Service will be addressed in the final rule.
Addresses
Electronic copies of the proposed rule or the regulatory amendment may be obtained from the e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s Web site at http://www.gulfcouncil.org, or from NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505.
You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
• Electronic Submissions: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Enter the following docket number into the “Search” box: NOAA-NMFS-2011-0018. All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter, may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NOAA Fisheries Service will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
• Mail: Richard Malinowski, NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505.
Comments received through means not specified in this bulletin will not be considered.
This bulletin provides only a summary of the information pertinent to the rule. Any discrepancies between this bulletin and the rule as published in the Federal Register will be resolved in favor of the Federal Register.
Need more information on these topics?
Southeast Regional Office’s Web page:
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov

The Political Sandbox: Gary Anderson; a right of center Modern Whig Party...

The Political Sandbox: Gary Anderson; a right of center Modern Whig Party...: " WAKE UP AMERICA! <iframe src='http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&..."

Spanish Mackerel on the Fly

Spanish Mackerel on the Fly

Armed with a 9 weight outfit, a couple of bags of chum and a beautiful day ahead of us, Allen from Maine and I headed out of Islamorada, Florida in search of Spanish on the fly. Bob Clouser had recommended to Allen to look me up if I really wanted to experience the whole world of fly fishing saltwater. To me this was quite a complement and one to which I wish to thank him for. 

 

Looking for a blitz or diving to circling birds, we search the surface of the light choppy waters off the key, in my 24 foot Sea Hunter. This time of year you could easily be in a flats boat on the inshore of the offshore as days, like today are more often than not with light breezes and a one foot sea. Not finding any surface baits to throw at, I found a piece of rocky bottom, just off a patch reef. We began to chum the area and...

READ MORE

New Red drum and Bonefish Bag Limits Florida & Mooring

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will meet Feb. 23 and 24 in Apalachicola to act on various fishing, hunting, recreational and wildlife issues. The sessions will begin at 8:30 AM each day and are open to the public. The meeting is in the third-floor courtroom of the Franklin County Courthouse, 33 Market St.

Traditionally, the Commission discusses marine fisheries issues on the second day, but this time it will take up draft rules regarding red drum (redfish) and Bonefish on the first day, to allow the appropriate number of days to advertise any proposed marine fisheries rules that would be decided on at the next meeting.

            On Wednesday, Feb. 23, Commissioners will consider a proposed draft rule that would establish three regional management areas for red drum, raise the daily recreational bag limit for red drum from one fish to two in Northeast and Northwest Florida, create a statewide eight-fish vessel limit for red drum and modify the red drum off-the-water possession limit.

            They will also consider a proposed draft rule that would make bonefish a catch-and-release only fishery, allow the temporary possession of bonefish for photograph and record purposes, and create a tournament exemption permit to allow temporary possession of bonefish for tournament weigh-ins.

            In other marine fisheries action, the Commission will review a report on a Goliath grouper stock assessment and implications for future Goliath grouper management, and consider various federal fisheries management issues.

            Also on Feb. 23, Commissioners will consider a staff recommendation to remove the Flagler County Manatee Zones draft rule proposal from the agenda to allow additional time to develop the proposal.

Another waterway issue – an anchoring and mooring pilot program – is on the agenda Feb. 23. The Commission will hear a staff report and recommendations for two locations on the west coast and one within Monroe County for the pilot program. Under Florida Statutes, the Commission must select five sites by July 1. The cities of Sarasota and St. Petersburg are likely to be accepted into phase one of the pilot program as the west coast participants. The remaining two selections must be from the east coast.

A mooring field is a controlled area where boaters tie their vessels to a floating buoy, which is secured to the bottom of the waterway. Florida Statutes require the FWC, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, to establish a pilot program regulating anchoring and mooring outside of marked public mooring fields to protect public property and safety and the marine environment against improperly stored, abandoned or derelict vessels.

The Political Sandbox: IFQ's (Catch Shares); Do They Work?

The Political Sandbox: IFQ's (Catch Shares); Do They Work?

North Australian FISH FINDER - Get Your Tackle Out Song

The Political Sandbox: Think About Catch Shares, Sector Separation & R.I....

The Political Sandbox: Think About Catch Shares, Sector Separation & R.I....: "When it was passed in 1970, the RICO Act was primarily intended to eliminate the influence of the Mafia in the nation's economy. Though toda..."

Fisherman's Rally FEBRUARY 25th!!!

Fisherman's Rally FEBRUARY 25th!!!

Its time again for all fishermen to come together and send a message to Washington DC! We MUST do this...nobody is going to do it for us.

captaingregpoland: New Kite...wOw!!!!

captaingregpoland: New Kite...wOw!!!!: "I took out this new fishing kite a friend sent me & all i can say is WOW!!!! I didn't believe it would fly in such light wind, but look..."

Florida Keys fishermen won’t endorse controversial federal catch share program - Outdoors - MiamiHerald.com

Florida Keys fishermen won’t endorse controversial federal catch share program - Outdoors - MiamiHerald.com

Saying NO is the first step! Now let us oust Jane and get NOAA back into the clouds, where they belong. Join the RFA today

King Mackerel Fishing Closed 02-06 2011

Southeast Fishery Bulletin
National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13

Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505

February 4, 2011
Susan Gerhart or Susan.Gerhart@noaa.gov
FB11-012
727/824-5305, FAX 727/824-5308

Closure of the Western Gulf of Mexico Zone:
Commercial King Mackerel Fishing

The western Gulf of Mexico zone is closed to
commercial king mackerel fishing, effective 12:00 noon
(local time) February 11, 2011, through June 30, 2011.
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service has
determined the 2010/2011 western zone commercial
quota of 1.01 million pounds of king mackerel has been
reached. With this action, commercial king mackerel
fishing is prohibited in federal waters of the Gulf of
Mexico from the U.S./Mexico border to the
Alabama/Florida boundary.
Closure of the western Gulf of Mexico zone to
commercial king mackerel fishing complies with
regulations implemented under the Fishery Management
Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the
Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic and is necessary to
protect the Gulf group king mackerel resource. In
cooperative actions, Gulf states (Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama) are expected to close
commercial harvest of king mackerel concurrently in
adjoining state waters.
During the closure period, no person aboard a vessel for
which a commercial permit for king mackerel has been
issued may fish for or retain king mackerel in or from
federal waters of the closed zone.
There is one
exception, however, for a person aboard a charter vessel
or headboat. A person aboard a vessel that has a valid
charter/headboat permit for coastal migratory pelagic
fish and a commercial king mackerel permit may
continue to retain king mackerel in or from the closed
subzone under the two-fish daily bag limit, provided the
vessel is operating as a charter vessel or headboat.
Charter vessels or headboats that hold a commercial king
mackerel permit are considered to be operating as a
charter vessel or headboat when they carry a passenger
who pays a fee or when more than three persons are
aboard, including operator and crew.
During the closure, no king mackerel caught in the
closed zone may be purchased, bartered, traded, or sold.
This includes recreational and tournament-caught fish.
The prohibition of sale, however, does not apply to trade
in king mackerel that were harvested, landed ashore and
bartered, traded, or sold before the closure and held in
cold storage by a dealer or processor.
If you would like to receive these fishery bulletins via e-
mail as soon as they are published, e-mail us at:
SERO.Communications.Comments@noaa.gov.
This bulletin provides only a summary of the
information regarding the existing regulations. Any
discrepancies between this bulletin and the regulations
as published in the Federal Register will be resolved in
favor of the Federal Register.

New Rules; Commercial Grouper in Florida Out!

New Rules; Commercial Harvesting Grouper in Florida

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Thursday has allowed itself to propose new rules for the recreational and commercial harvest of grouper in Gulf of Mexico, Florida State waters. The proposed rules follow up on interim measures taken earlier this year, by your friends and mine over on the Gulf Council under EDF and its slave NOAA, run by overseer Dr Jane Lubchenco; A Puppet of Puppets and will match state grouper rules with pending federal regulations and you thought they wouldn't? The goal of the new rules are to improve populations of gag grouper so that quality fishing continue into the future, at least that is what they were miming.

A recent series of federal and state actions addresses overfishing of gag grouper in the Gulf by reducing fishing pressure, through sector separation and catch shares, are in our masters mind the solution to achieve gag grouper harvest reductions of 41-42 percent for the commercial fishery and 26 percent for the recreational fishery, through a combination of fishing season and area closures, annual harvest quota and bag limit adjustments and other measures. It is the other measures that scare the bejewels out of me! These proposed new rules would establish a Feb. 1 through March 31 closed spawning season for all recreational and commercial harvest of shallow-water groupers (gag, black, red, yellow-fin, scamp, yellow-mouth, rock hind and red hind) in all Gulf state waters. This proposed two-month closure, in Gulf state waters, would extend the current one-month commercial closed season for gag, red and black grouper. This way they can put more anglers out of business and we maybe out to change the state motto of “Fishing Capital of the World”, to Florida Home to NO FISHING HERE ANYMORE, go to the market, if your looking to get some fish! The intent of this closure is to limit the catch of gag grouper by closing harvest to all similar shallow-water grouper species during the spawning season. Sounds good but the rule is a bit dry.

These new rules would also decrease the daily recreational aggregate bag limit for all shallow-water groupers from five fish to four fish per person. In addition, the proposed rules would reduce the commercial minimum size limit for Gulf red grouper from 20 inches, to 18 inches total length. This will significantly reduce the number of 18- to 20-inch fish that do not survive upon release. Again, holding no water, what about the one under 18 inches in length? Once they are 18-20 there is a problem but as a juvenile, hooks don't catch or what is the point? A final public hearing on these rule proposals will take place during the next FWC public meeting in Crystal River in June. Are they to get an ear full from me! They ought to from you too. For more info on these new idea to rules, here is from the last meet, as to which these NEW IDEAS are from; 2009? Now that ain't no fresh fish, anyway you slice it!

http://myfwc.com/docs/CommissionMeetings/2009/2009_Apr_10B_GulfRedandGagGrouper_Final_Update2B.pdf

On the Lighter side but it is the Law!

Gulf Grouper Closed
Recreational harvest of shallow-water grouper in the Gulf of Mexico closed Feb. 1 through March 1 on Florida's Gulf Coast, except in Monroe County. The two-month closure coincides with grouper spawning season. The closure includes red, yellow-fin, scamp, yellow-mouth, rock hind and red hind grouper. Gag grouper already closed Jan. 1.
Trout are Out!
Trout season in Northeast Florida closed Tuesday, Feb. 1, for a month. The closure includes all waters north of the Flagler/Volusia County line on the east coast and on the Gulf side, north of the Fred Howard Park Causeway, located about 1.2 miles south of the Pinellas/Pasco County lines. The season reopens March 1.