Fighting for 

YOUR FISHING RIGHTS and

THE FUTURE OF RECREATIONAL FISHING

FWC Commissioner: "I have no respect for the federal government" before closing gag in state waters.

"I don't think they tell us the whole truth" said Commissioner Rodney Barreto, referring to the federal government's National Marine Fisheries Service as the debate began over whether the state should close their waters for gag grouper fishing in deference to the federal government.

The debate lasted for 10 min. and included comments about how the federal government punished the FWC the last time that the FWC refused to match federal rules. "Can the record note that it carried but we don't like it?" asked Commissioner Kathy Barco.

The F WC failed to understand that 4 million recreational anglers are affected by this rule. Somehow the commissioners got the impression that 300 charter captains and 300 commercial fishermen equal 4 million recreational anglers. Interestingly, ONLY ONE GROUP opposed the state's action, that group being the FRA. Most surprising was the CCA statement of 'we have no position'.

While the commissioners did vote to go concurrent with federal rules, FRA Executive Director Dennis O'Hern stated " I did not hear the fat lady sing yet".

The rule the commissioners voted on will close Florida state waters to gag fishing from June 1 to September 15 then again from November 15 to December 31 of 2011. The National Marine Fisheries Service coerced the state into voting for this rule by promising them a two-month federal gag season of September 15 to November 15 for charter captains and an additional 300,000 pounds of grouper for the commercial fishing sector.

4 million anglers and a whole lot of Florida citizens are upset by this. Those who wish to express their comments can send them to the commissioners via e-mail at commissioners@myFWC.com . Tell the commissioners that you will support them standing up against the feds.

Next up: Congress. Time to cut off the allowance of the oppressors at National Marine Fisheries Service. Stay tuned.



 

OUTDATED ASSESSMENT IGNORES 50% CATCH REDUCTION!  

WILL FLAWED DATA CLOSE GULF GAG IN FLORIDA WATERS? Get the ACTION PLAN  

OUTDATED ASSESSMENT IGNORES 50% CATCH REDUCTION!

The outdated, unreliable gag stock assessment uses 2006 through 2008 for projections of landings.  As you can see below, 2009 and 2010 show huge drops in effort and landings.  Why would this information be ignored?  The drops shown below would eliminate the need for a gag closure.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Call and email the FWC and your state legislators MONDAY and TUESDAY.  The decision will be made on April 6th at the FWC meeting. Full contact details and information below, click here.

HOW TO MAKE AN EFFECTIVE STATEMENT:

POLITELY ask to leave a message for the person or people you are calling.

State your name and where you live, then simply state the following (only if you agree with it):

• I oppose the state FWC closing gag grouper based on the federal government’s flawed data and outdated science.  Effort and landings are down by 50% from 2008, yet are not factored into the closures. We catch the same und

• I request that you protect Florida’s fishing jobs and fishing rights from damaging and unnecessary regulations and that you act to convince the National Marine Fisheries Service to reopen gulf gag until a current full benchmark stock assessment is completed. 

• Please officially inform the National Marine Fisheries Service that Florida holds my fishing as a RIGHT.  It is NOT a privilege bestowed upon us by appointed federal officials.

•  I fish and I vote.  I am one of four million Florida anglers.  Thank you for your time.

WILL FLAWED DATA CLOSE GULF GAG IN FLORIDA WATERS?

The National Marine Fisheries Service is pressuring the state of Florida to submit to closures, lost jobs and economic devastation based on flawed data and outdated science.  $3 billion dollars in economic activity and more than 5000 jobs will be lost PERMANENTLY if state gulf waters are closed to recreational anglers.  The Florida FWC will take action on the closure issue next week, on APRIL 6^th.  Click here for the staff presentation of the issue.

68B-14. 0039 Recreational Grouper Seasons - This section would be modified to close recreational Gulf of Mexico gag grouper harvest from June 1 through September 15, 2011 and November 16, through December 31, 2011.  These closures would occur in 2011 only and would be consistent with recent federal action.

Overwhelming angler reports of abundant gag contradict the findings of the updated 2006 gag stock assessment, which was declared in its original review to be ‘unreliable’.  This contradiction in findings happened six years ago, when the same federal agency claimed it needed to close all grouper fishing to protect red grouper.  After losing in federal court in 2005, the feds closed only red grouper, still using the flawed data as the basis for the closure. 

Anglers continued to report abundant red grouper in 2005 and 2006, contradicting the flawed data.  In 2007 a red grouper stock assessment found that angler’s information was, in fact, correct and that red grouper had been abundant in the time frame reported.  Red grouper were NOT being overfished when the feds closed the fishery.  Why must we suffer the loss of our rights, our jobs, our economic activity and our very heritage, all based on fatally flawed data and outdated science?

97% of Gulf recreational fishing trips are shore trips or boat trips captained by non-professional anglers. Only 3% of all Gulf recreational trips are taken on professional boats with professional captains.

Dead discards: Killing the fish or just killing the fishing?

The unreliable stock assessment shows that anglers killed 1.2 million undersized gags in 2008, yet current data suggests the number to be 50,000.  There is a BIG difference here, one that is ignored in the current gag assessment, yet is acknowledged in all grouper tagging programs:  Daily multiple recaptures of undersized gag are common and visual surveys show less than a 2% release mortality on grouper in 60 to 100 feet. 

The flawed math: A 2008 estimate of gulf recreational anglers discarding 4 million gag grouper, with no consideration of the possibility of recapture, MULTIPLIED BY a 30% discard mortality produces 1.2 million dead gag.  The dead gag estimate is one of the causes of the current gag restrictions.

The FACTUAL math: 1 million discarded fish, caught and released an average of four times, multiplied by a 5% release mortality equals an estimated 50,000 dead gags discarded.  Again, the possibility of recapture and the visual discard observations were NOT used in any of the gag assessment updates. These recapture and release mortality rates are based on current observations of FWC tagging programs.

Why does the flawed data show only a 42% reduction in offshore activity when charter, tackle and marina information show a 75% decline in that activity since 2006?  This difference alone would cause landings estimates to be DOUBLE that of reality.

It is WRONG that draconian rules based on flawed data and outdated science will cost us 5000 jobs and $3 BILLION in economic activity.  NMFS ignores that angler effort and landings of gulf gag are off 50% since 2008.  We would not need a $3 billion dollar closure.

The National Marine Fisheries Service ignores the Florida law which holds fishing as a RIGHT.  NMFS needs to acknowledge that fishing is NOT a privilege bestowed upon us by appointed federal officials.  Great offense is taken that our rights are denied by this federal agency.

Why does the NMFS regional director have a vote on the Council?  He is an administrator, not an appointed, voting member.

The FRA will be in Tallahassee next week to visit legislators and to attend the FWC meeting.  Your phone calls will help define the actions taken by our legislators.

YOU NEED TO TAKE ACTION NOW.  STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.

Follow the GAG ACTION PLAN below for an easy way to make an effective statement.  If you can order a pizza, you can MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 

First Step: By April 6^th, we need to stop the state FWC from closing gag in state waters.

Second Step:  We ask Congress for relief from the draconian rules which are devastating our jobs, economy, and heritage and wrongfully depriving us of our right to fish.

To take the First Step:

You need to make FOUR phone calls.  Call the FWC, your state senator, your state representative and the Florida governor’s office (phone numbers on right).  OTHER CALLS that would also help: Your Mayor, Chamber of Commerce, city and county officials.

HOW TO MAKE AN EFFECTIVE STATEMENT:

POLITELY ask to leave a message for the person or people you are calling.

State your name and where you live, then simply state the following (only if you agree with it):

• I oppose the state FWC closing gag grouper based on the federal government’s flawed data and outdated science.  Effort and landings are down by 50% from 2008, yet are not factored into the closures.

• I request that you protect Florida’s fishing jobs and fishing rights from damaging and unnecessary regulations and that you act to convince the National Marine Fisheries Service to reopen gulf gag until a current full benchmark stock assessment is completed. 

• Please officially inform the National Marine Fisheries Service that Florida holds my fishing as a RIGHT.  It is NOT a privilege bestowed upon us by appointed federal officials.

•  I fish and I vote.  I am one of four million Florida anglers.  Thank you for your time.

CALL 1 – Call the FWC 850-487-3796 and leave a message for each of the following people:

• ALL of the FWC Commissioners

• Nick Wiley, Executive Director

• Greg Holder

• Mark Robson

• Bill Teehan

• You can also email the FWC at: commissioners@myfwc.com or marine@myfwc.com

CALL 2 - Call your state senator (listed on right)

CALL 3 - Call your state representative (listed on right)

CALL 4 – Call Florida’s governor’s office 850-487-3796 (listed on right
(Not sure of your district?  Click here.) 

THE Second Step of the GAG ACTION PLAN WILL BE POSTED NEXT WEEK 

SEND THIS TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS and TELL THEM TO TAKE ACTION!

To put it another way - Additional talking points:

We catch and release some of the same fish multiple times.  We do NOT kill one third of all of our discards.  The flawed assessment does NOT consider this, yet it estimates that 30% of all released gag grouper die, which caused the recreational closure.

The use of an updated version of an originally unreliable gag grouper stock assessment is costing us JOBS (reduction to a two month season will cost 5000 jobs), economic activity (loss of 3 BILLION annually) and our right to fish.  Please protect us.

There has been no economic impact study done, yet this will kill what is left of the recreational grouper fishery, including charter captains and tackle/boat dealers.

The FWC claims that is does not have to have public hearings on the state rule if it is adopting federal regulations.  Yet there are no such federal regulations at this time.  Any such two month closure would be an interim regulation that is not in place and therefore cannot by be ‘matched’ by the state without hearing from the public.  This is an outrageous end run on public input.

Based on public comment from the charter and commercial grouper industries, staff recommends adopting a state closed season for Gulf of Mexico gag grouper from June 1 through December 31, 2011

Why are we knowingly allowing flawed data to close a fishery with a cost of 5000 jobs?

Why would the state of Florida sell out so many of its constituents for the benefit of a very few by closing gag in state waters?  97% of Gulf recreational fishing trips are shore trips or boat trips captained by non-professional anglers. Only 3% of all Gulf recreational trips are taken on professional boats with professional captains. 

FWC MEETING AGENDA

Wednesday, APRIL 6th, 2011

MEETING LOCATION:

Florida Public Safety Institute

Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy

215 Academy Drive

Havana, FL 32333

FWC office: 850-487-3796

FWC Email addresses

commissioners@myfwc.com

marine@myfwc.com

Governor Scott:  850-488-4441

Click to Find your senator

 

Senator	Dist	Tally PH
Dockery, Paula	15	850-487-5040
Fasano, Mike	11	850-487-5062
Jones, Dennis L., D.C.	13	850-487-5065
Storms, Ronda	10	850-487-5072
Norman, Jim	12	850-487-5068
Evers, Greg	2	850-487-5000
Detert, Nancy C.	23	850-487-5081
Richter, Garrett	37	850-487-5124
Bennett, Michael S. "Mike"	21	850-487-5078
Latvala, Jack	16	850-487-5075
Gaetz, Don	4	850-487-5009
Alexander, JD	17
Altman, Thad	24
Benacquisto, Lizbeth	27
Bogdanoff, Ellyn Setnor	25
Braynon II, Oscar	33
Bullard, Larcenia J.	39
Dean, Charles S. "Charlie", Sr.	3
Diaz de la Portilla, Miguel	36
Flores, Anitere	38
Garcia, Rene	40
Gardiner, Andy	9
Haridopolos, Mike	26
Hays, Alan	20
Hill, Anthony C. "Tony", Sr.	1
Joyner, Arthenia L.	18
Lynn, Evelyn J.	7
Margolis, Gwen	35
Montford, Bill	6
Negron, Joe	28
Oelrich, Steve	14
Rich, Nan H.	34
Ring, Jeremy	32
Sachs, Maria Lorts	30
Simmons, David	22
Siplin, Gary	19
Smith, Christopher L. "Chris"	29
Sobel, Eleanor	31
Thrasher, John	8
Wise, Stephen R.	5

Click to FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE