you guys should go on the Whitehouse website and read the report yourself. It's not really that bad. Yeah there may be some more rules or restrictions that result from this but I highly doubt fishing will be banned like some of you are saying. Read the report for yourself then share your point of view.

Look I already said in a previous post STICK TO THE TOPIC. This is not a referendum on the 2008 election, ok? This is real and it doesn't matter who is in government - anglers need to insist their voices are heard and defend their liberty. If your post is missing on this thread it's because you could not stay in those guidelines.

nopants you need to wake up and smell the coffee - did you miss the ongoing battles with the fisheries commision and the closures on snapper, grouper, and large parts of the ocean? Have you seen what's been going on in CA with the MLPA?

rhettdec get your facts straight - no one here or in the ESPN article said "Obama is going to ban fishing" - your comments are welcome but please don't create a fire where there's no smoke.

The 'this isn't happening' or 'this is fear mongering attitude' is plain naive and silly given the actions OUR government has taken so far. This is not the time to debate IF it is happening - it IS happening and anglers need to rally together to combat it.

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"This is my signature not my facebook page."

maybe my post didnt really reflect my feelings. yes its a serious matter and it is going to have a negative impact on a lot of people. my point is that people are really freaking out about this like they are gonna come to our homes and take our tackle boxes. before reading the report for myself i was under the impression that fishing will be banned all together because of the comments i heard from other people. i am really just trying to encourage people to read the report themselves so their arguments will be valid and educated. whats the point of fighting this if we dont know what we are fighting for?

Sorry Mike....I couldn't resist the cheap shot.

It is a political issue however, that extends beyond recreational angling, especially if it results in more out of work Americans. If anything it's terrible timing.

Yes people should get themselves educated. No one is implying that tomorrow you can't fish or the gov is coming for your tacklebox However last November that is exactly what happened. Based on bogus "science" thousands were told "you cannot fish for snapper" - the day before that was announced you could fish for snapper - the next day you couldn't.

Then a few weeks later we were told "you cannot bottom fish anywhere in this part of the ocean for ANYTHING because you might catch a snapper as bycatch". The day before that announcement we could still bottom fish in the ocean.

They don't have to come after your tacklebox since you can't defend yourself or hurt "them" with it. But they can make it so you can only use it to fish where you are "allowed"

The thing I really do not like about the "economic impact argument" or "this is a bad time because of the economy" argument is because they ignore the real point - there is no good time or reason to have your liberty trampled upon. If the economy were booming I'd be just as angry at the use of bogus data to take away our freedom to fish. IMO all the arguments about "economic impact" detract from the real issue.

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"This is my signature not my facebook page."

whoa settle down man. im not trying to start anything. i posted because i thought people on here might have some more insight on the matter then the articles ive seen on the internet. if you google "obama to ban fishing" you get a lot of hits for things titled just that. so i came over here to see if anyone knew anything about it. this thread seemed to be related.

Dang...and I was just getting fired up. Sorry Mike...my right side was coming out..

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Malibu Kayak 2 arms hp, KeyWest 1720 Pro Flats 90 hp Merc. and FourWinns 1820 200 hp Mercruiser

Before everyone get too upset... That article is complete BS (EDIT: IMO the article is BS because ESPN didn't clearly show that it was based off of opinion). It's based off the OPINION of this Robert Montgomery guy. Here:

http://deadspin.com/5490210/espncom-helps-launch-false-obama-wants-to-ban-fishing-rumor

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/saltwater/columns/story?columnist=bowman_steve&id=4982359

I wrote NOAA for some more info, this is what I received....

Mr. Moxon,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your concerns with regards to the impact Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) may have on recreational fishing. It appears there is a fair amount of misinformation in the article recently posted on ESPN and it has caused quite a stir amongst the fishing community.

Although we are unable to speak on behalf of the entire Agency, below are responses from the White House and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will hopefully assuage any concerns and correct any inaccuracies depicted in the commentary on ESPN.

- Statement from Christine Glunz, Communications Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality with regards to the Ocean Policy Task Force

“The draft reports issued by the Ocean Policy Task Force have involved extensive stakeholder input and public participation as they were being prepared, which has included the interests of conservationists and the recreational fishing community. These draft reports are not map-drawing exercises, they do not contain a zoning plan, and they do not establish any restrictions on recreational fishing or on public access, nor make any judgments about whether one ocean activity or use is better than another.”

“The Ocean Policy Task Force sincerely appreciates the conservation activities of recreational users, who have a long history of actively participating in the stewardship of the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. The Task Force strongly believes in the ability of recreational fishermen and women to continue to enjoy these activities that are critical to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of our country. In fact, one of our main goals is to ensure healthier ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, which will benefit all recreational activities and the communities and economies that rely on them.”

- Statement from Eric Schwaab, NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service

“The Ocean Policy Task Force has not recommended a ban on recreational fishing.

The draft reports by the Ocean Policy Task Force do not contain a zoning map and do not establish any restrictions on recreational fishing, nor make any judgments about whether one ocean activity or use is better than another. Instead, the reports set up a policy and framework for effectively managing the many sustainable uses of the ocean while upholding our responsibility to be stewards of our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes.

As a member of the task force, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, has said, and I echo her on this, that saltwater recreational fishing is vital to this nation and NOAA is committed to building a strong partnership with America’s saltwater anglers to ensure that Americans have opportunities to fish sustainably for generations to come.

Saltwater recreational fishing matters to me on a personal level as a recreational fisherman, it matters to millions of Americans who enjoy this great sport and it matters to our economy. Our most recent economic report shows it supports a half million jobs and generates $82 billion in sales each year.

NOAA is committed to adopting policies that will ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to enjoy the great tradition of recreational fishing.”

For more information contact Monica Allen, NOAA Fisheries Communications at 301-713-2370 or email her at monica.allen@noaa.gov

Also, for more on the perspective from the saltwater fishing community, please reference the following article posted on Reel-Time.com

http://www.reel-time.com/articles/conse ... %E2%80%9D/

As well as the aforementioned information, attached is a document that has been produced by the White House Council on Environmental Quality's Ocean Policy Task Force that may shed some additional light on the rhetoric in the article vs. reality.

If you need any further assistance or have more specific questions, please direct them to Kate.Nielsen@noaa.gov who works for the National Ocean Service' Communication Department.

Sincerely,
Adam Bode

Orion:

The fact that the ESPN article it is an opinion piece changes nothing and does not make it BS. The ESPN piece does not say "Obama to close down fishing" - if you say this again (and I have told you it is not true and the article does NOT say this) you will lose your privilege to speak here. Your continued insistence that it does is creating smoke where there is no fire. The article says "Obama administration has ended public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing some of the nation's oceans, coastal areas..." and that is the title of this thread. STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION.

rhettdec:
Maybe you should see Dr. Lubchenko go toe to toe with Sen Lemieux when he took her to talk on these very issues in the video posted earlier in this thread.

Closures ARE happening both commercially and recreationally.

The white house HAS announced it is not interested in any more input on the issue from the public (remember us, the people the government is supposed to be working for).

Thanks for posting but if you think this is not happening or that this is osme sort of scare tactic you have not been paying attention to what has already occurred and what continues to occur.

In case no one saw it, this week the Southeast Fisheries Management folks CHANGED their map of which portions of the ocean will be CLOSED to bottom fishing to enable bottom fishing and snapper to be caught in South Carolina. Previously the "science" had led to a closure map that included South Carolina but apprently they have representatives in that state with cajones that managed to reverse the tide, unlike Florida.

Amazing that the "science" which placed SC in the closure area lest Snapper all of a sudden permitted such a change, isn't it?

The entire release on the SC exampltion is at http://outdoorsshow.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4729 and http://outdoorsshow.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4719

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"This is my signature not my facebook page."

I understand that there were over 7 million letters and emails sent to protest the snapper/grouper closers They, whoever They are, sure did listen to the pubilc

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Ther are no politicans who want to start a fight with the 65 Million Sport Fisherman.
A ture fisherman is the type of person that if it came to eating lunch or buying bait, the bait would always win.
The passion of a sport fisherman goes much deeper than a tight line. It brings a family closer together and makes memories that last a life time.
Make sure your Representatives know how you feel on all the subjects that are pertinant today.

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Wilderness Systems Ride 135 Angler Sit-On-Top Fishing Kayak

I'm confused by this? I didn't say anything about Obama closing down fishing. This is my first time posting anything about it here. Maybe I'm not understanding this: "Your continued insistence that it does is creating smoke where there is no fire.". Continued insistence? I haven't really said anything except posted a couple articles and expressed that I thought what the ESPN article was saying is BS. The article might not be BS but as with everyone else, my emotions came out over something that I could never lose. Not really sure what I did wrong, and I'm unsure how I'm spreading misinformation. Maybe you could shoot me a PM and explain?

EDIT: I read through more of this thread and understand some of what you are saying. Because I've read similar threads on numerous fishing sites, I chose not to read this entire one. I haven't purposely "created smoke..." I was just trying to provide more information on that specific article. Me saying that it's BS was purely my personal feelings and contain the emotions that I feel about this subject. This: "(and I have told you it is not true and the article does NOT say this)" Like I said, I didn't read the entire thread and thus did not see that you had warned others not to say anything about "Obama closing down fishing". But I'm still confused, because I didn't say anything about that.

Another note is that I rarely fish the coastal areas, and thus rarely know much about what is going on with the fisheries out there.

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After extensive, diligent, and scholarly research, there is NO evidence that life should be so serious.

U14.5

T120

To all who voice the same "right" opinion on this issue. Captain Vic has a radio show on 106.5 calld "Just Fishin" on Saturday mornings and has actually recently made a trip up to Washington representing us. For this I wan't to thank him for doing this as not all of us have the time or the money to do. Just thought I bring him up as we do need to act like a group and Radio is the next step up from this forum. We should let him know we are supporting his voice. Here is his website. http://vic2fish.com/

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2007 Heritage Redfish 12