Orion I apologize if I pointd the finger at the wrong person. But the text in the ESPN article in no way says "Obama to close down fishing", and I was referring to someone who continually said that was the case (maybe their post got moderated)

The scary thing about the report at the white house site (thanks Dreads) is it reads like "Our policy on maintaining consistent climate and how we will deal with climate change" except it's about maintaining some perceived state of the oceans and it's denizens. It is very broad and overreaching and if you think it is going to help I beg to differ. IMO more government is never a good thing unless we're talking about more soldiers to take care of an enemy combatant. Somewhere along the way the US government decided it wasn't of the people, by the people, and for the people and has devolved into a monarchy (composed of both major paties) that thinks it's role is to control the world and everyone and everything in it in whatever image it sees fit. It's no longer "our" government, it has taken on a life of it's own like some sort of deviant monster with a bottomless appetite and ego (re:skynet in Terminator).

Amen, brother.

No worries. I totally agree with your views. I was just confused by that post. Like I said, first contribution to the thread.

Guys, you've all heard it..."United we stand". It's true. We need to be united, to ban together. There's strenght in numbers. I've been a Coastal Conservation Association member (CCA) for a number of years. We started a chapter here in Camden County and recruited a fair number of members. I was the secretary during the few short years that the chapter survived. Every time we tried to recruit help to promote the CCA, have a social get together or an annual fund raiser banquet; there were no volunteers. It was the same 5 or 6 of us that were at every event organizing and working. Eventually, we had to admit defeat. People didn't see the threat back then that we saw. When the first MPA was established in California, we knew it was just a matter of time before it happened close to home. However, we couldn't convince the people.
It's time that we all take an active part in protecting our fishing interests. Maybe you're not ready to put a lot of time into it yet, but you could join your local chapter of the CCA. When the CCA goes to DC to argue our case, the more members they have, the more clout they have. CCA needs to increase the membership and donations. If you pay no more than the $25.00 annual membership fee, you have helped! Check it out for yourself. http://www.joincca.org/

....just for giggles, look at the food "safety" bill 875, then tell me how you can avoid the opressive gov.....next thing you know, they will propose a fishing fee so as to restock the ocean as we catch them....(restock with law dogs in order to catch you....at anything)

<civics lesson>
I look at all of the proud photos of nice fat redfish in the reports sections, then read here that government is always bad. But, who stepped in in the early 90s when redfish nearly disappeared all the way from the Texas gulf to the Chesapeake to feed the "blackened redfish" craze? Why do we have a fishery now? Commercial AND recreational fishing regulations before it was too late!

If you want bad guys, look at the Japanese, who feed their unsustainable population on our, hell, everyone's fish. Yes, offshore fish. Fortunately, we have found ways to protect our inshore fisheries. With a bit of patience, those who cry over the grouper/snapper restrictions will marvel at the positive outcome in a very few years.

Yep, it sucks for those who've enjoyed recreational use of those resources, and more for those who've over-exploited them, but do we always have to wait until things we value are on the brink before we take steps to assure their continued survival and our ability to continue to enjoy them?

I grew up in the Chesapeake area. Watermen were the heart of our community and now, are all but gone. Current oyster catch - 3% of long-term averages, crabs, only slightly better (and the mushy things that grow down here don't deserve the name). Why? No water quality management and incompetent fishery management. Hell, that fishery may probably never recover, given the toxic sludge on the bottom of the Bay.

Now cool down a bit over this report. 1) Barring emergency, NO FEDERAL REGULATION MAY BE IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT A PERIOD OF OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT BY CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS (which, admittedly, can be ignored) - period. This discussion is about a report, NOT specific proposals for regulation. 2) In any area where I've every been involved with government (gratefully, never as an employee or flak) I have seen damned few instances where both sides failed to present end-of-the-world scenarios of the consequences. In even fewer have any of those consequences come to pass, and in fewer yet, were the final regulations not moderated by input (zoning decisions by corrupt local boards, excluded).

Bottom line, wait, be attentive. Should regulations be proposed, read them, let them sit, then read them again, more carefully. Take notes, think out your arguments, then, go speak at the publicly announced meetings, write the regulators involved and speak to your congressional offices (state or federal, as applies). KNOW THE DETAILS BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH!!!!!! A knowledgeable, coherent argument based on the actual matter at hand WILL ALWAYS have greater impact than the most impassioned plea based on uninformed emotion. If you have the facts AND the passion, then you need only worry about the big bucks being wrong and generous.

Bitter invective here on these boards is a waste of time and energy. Get it right, then do the right thing where it matters. (...and, yes, I do, regularly and actively.)

(BTW - never trust a legislator to know what he/she is talking about, especially your own - it's our mutual responsibility to educate each other. Talk to them!)

</end civics lesson>

Hey sleepy52. That was a pretty good civics lesson except for one thing. The government doesn't come in and save the day all on their own. There was a lot of pressure applied before there was any government help with the Gulf Redfish issue. The CCA wasn't the only voice heard, but it was a one of the loudest voices heard. Remember, strength in numbers! If the City of Jacksonville wanted to close your favorite launch site, you could go to a city hall meeting and voice your opinion. However, I doubt that the city would be swayed by your plea. If Mike Kogan went down there and told them that all of his JKF members were upset about the proposed closing, they would be more inclined to listen and reconsider! The whole of the JKF members is a much louder voice that will get the attention of government groups. Unfortunately, you have to have that loud voice, as well as Lobbyists in Washington. CCA has all of that and over 100,000 members. Here's a little history.
"CCA began in 1977 after drastic commercial overfishing along the Texas coast decimated redfish and speckled trout populations. Fourteen concerned recreational anglers created the Gulf Coast Conservation Association to combat commercial fishing excesses and conserve the resource.
That spirit of conservation and stewardship started with CCA’s "Save the Redfish" campaign and soon swept across the entire Gulf Coast. By 1985, Gulf-state chapters had formed from Texas to Florida. By decade’s end, state chapters were founded through the mid-Atlantic region, and by the early `90s, development of the New England state chapters was completed. In 2007, CCA opened chapters in Washington and Oregon, and today stands as a united Coastal Conservation Association with a presence on all three coasts.

You can read about the CCA's accomplishments at the following link:

http://www.joincca.org/Accomplishments.html

A wonderful civics "lesson" to those of us already watching our liberty being taken. How patronizing! As if we aren't intelligent enough to SEE the loss of liberty happening right before our eyes. According to your advice we should stop petitioning government, sit back, and just wait and watch further closures based on bogus "science", and trust the government!



Anglers are all about conserving the fishery - change the bag and/or slot limits, but these complete closures of huge sections of our waters to avoid catching "species at risk" are nothing more than heinous. Many of us are sick of government "at" the people and we're not going to sit back, watch, be cool, and take it anymore. No one else is going to defend your freedom unless you get out and do it yourself.

This post's contents were removed for use of profane language.

An awareness in what is happening is the most important item in civics. The idea that we say, "it ain't gonna' happen" is what gets us scratching our heads and wondering what happened. If I understand some past readings in various sporting mags, a few countries in Europe have bowed down to PETA and other animal rights activist to ban catch and release, making it kill only. This comes through strength of lobby and playing on emotions.

Mike is right with the fact we as a group need to be aware of what is happening not just now, but what could happen in the future. The possiblity of something coming around. Who would think that with this health care bill we would skirt parliamentary process and try a back door method to get it passed against the will of the people. This could happen this week. An executive order becomes enforceable. Closing one fishery leads to many if we do not become proactive.

like joe/ga said, join your local CCA, let your voice be herd, and do a lot of good in the prosses. Their magazines also keeps you in touch with what is REALLY going on with the fishing world.