tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post1394068823310516145..comments2024-03-15T08:52:03.058-04:00Comments on ONE ANGLER'S VOYAGE: MAGNUSON REAUTHORIZATION: THE "END OF DAYS" FOR MARINE CONSERVATION?Charles Witekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16752632941300366580noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-76989206637547026442014-06-12T12:53:32.800-04:002014-06-12T12:53:32.800-04:00Thanks for your thoughts.
And yes, bass are defin...Thanks for your thoughts.<br /><br />And yes, bass are definitely looking at trouble. We can still turn things around if we act quickly, but ASMFC just seems to lack the will--or the desire--to do what's needed to protect the resource so long as one business complains that conservation will cost it some income. That's why it's so important to keep the conservation provisions of Magnuson intact--and maybe, at some point in the future, to impose similar conservation requirements on ASMFC.Charles Witekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16752632941300366580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-81857289008791949532014-06-12T09:14:22.828-04:002014-06-12T09:14:22.828-04:00Mr. Witek,
I have read just about every post you ...Mr. Witek, <br />I have read just about every post you have made, and I am thrilled that you are making an effort to put this information out there. I am a surfcaster who primarily fishes the Jersey Shore. I fish a lot, and my experience echoes what I've been reading elsewhere: the Striped Bass is in big trouble. Sadly, I'm cynical that anything will be done until we've gone over the precipice. The typical reaction on the fishing message boards is "nobody's gonna tell me I can't keep the occasional bass" or "it's the boat guys, not the beach fishermen…" But just my own anecdotal evidence tells me there are far more guys on the beach- parking lots at Sandy Hook that you might have seen 2 cars in on a weeknight are often full now. And bait shops continue to post photos of dead bass during the spring spawn….ugh. donohuenychttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02171686840717321577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-12993050024557628692014-05-29T07:35:57.387-04:002014-05-29T07:35:57.387-04:00Glad that you enjoy the blog. Fisheries issues do...Glad that you enjoy the blog. Fisheries issues don't know boundaries; many of the same problems face folks everywhere. So we must seek some common solutions.Charles Witekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16752632941300366580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-2527541594560625302014-05-27T02:27:43.465-04:002014-05-27T02:27:43.465-04:00This is very informative. Thanks for sharing your ...This is very informative. Thanks for sharing your insights guys. Even i love <a href="http://biradivecamp.com/" rel="nofollow"> scuba Diving in Indonesia</a> I can't help my self to be interested on this topic.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01866812970281132669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-83353054480732068122014-02-17T15:58:27.842-05:002014-02-17T15:58:27.842-05:00Charlie...
As it stands today RPA's and RPM...Charlie...<br />As it stands today RPA's and RPM's are not required to be developed via MSA or regional council process.<br />This is all we ask.Greg DiDomenicohttp://gardenstateseafood.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-16121427525047958652014-02-17T15:41:19.530-05:002014-02-17T15:41:19.530-05:00"Any new rules should not just be in the hand..."Any new rules should not just be in the hands of the folks who manage ESA."<br /><br />I suppose that is our basic philosophical disagreement. Absent a law such as Magnuson, which sets sideboards around a council's ability to act and requires it to meet clear national standards as interpreted by the court, I don't believe that any user group--including, as an aside, recreational fishermen--are capable of governing themselves. I think that everyone should have input, and that such input should be given a respectful hearing, but that in the end decisions should be made by people with no direct financial interest in the outcome. Otherwise, based simply on human nature, the outcome may not be too good.Charles Witekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16752632941300366580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-74549222363585824012014-02-17T13:34:33.169-05:002014-02-17T13:34:33.169-05:00Charlie....no TRT style process is involved in ESA...Charlie....no TRT style process is involved in ESA. Which is why we are asking for the Council process to take place.<br />I agree it should not be left only to industry but the same goes for the current process.<br />Any new rules should not just be in the hands of the folks who manage ESA.<br />Greg DGreg DiDomenicohttp://gardenstateseafood.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-1612387352123951332014-02-17T08:37:55.332-05:002014-02-17T08:37:55.332-05:00Greg--
Sounds as if progress is being made. I th...Greg--<br /><br />Sounds as if progress is being made. I think that what you describe actually supports the current system. Fishermen's input is being given honest consideration, and is being incorporated into the regulatory process, but the actual rules are being formulated by management professionals.<br /><br />One has to ask whether the system would work as well if industry didn't have to come up with proposals that are acceptable to professional resource managers, and only needed to come up with proposals that were acceptable to themselves.Charles Witekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16752632941300366580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-64266545057915047192014-02-16T14:43:43.346-05:002014-02-16T14:43:43.346-05:00Charlie...
I think you would be surprised at the c...Charlie...<br />I think you would be surprised at the changes over the last ten years. I currently sit on the MAFMC Protected Species AP.<br />I sit on the Take Reduction Teams for Large Whales, small cetacean, Harbor porpoise and bottlenose dolphins.<br />In my opinion the Mid Atlantic TRT members, including fishermen, have provided gear modifications and time and space closures that have been meaningful and supported by the science and results we have done this while maintaining profitable fisheries.<br />We have done some outreach and education to keep awareness of these issues fresh in the minds of industry and compliance high.<br />A good mixture of input from all sides can often be the most productive way forward where mutually important goals are attained.<br />I am pretty sure that of the many protected species in our region none are currently designated strategic, perhaps one . While an incident with a marine mammal is unfortunate it is often an accident. <br />We will continue to do our best.<br />Thank you<br />Greg DiDomenico<br /><br />Greg DiDomenicohttp://gardenstateseafood.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-87437402553326878962014-02-16T09:12:24.725-05:002014-02-16T09:12:24.725-05:00Greg--
I agree that fishermen--including the fish...Greg--<br /><br />I agree that fishermen--including the fishermen on the various regional fishery management councils--should have input with respect to any regulations intended to address ESA mandates. However, I also believe that the final shape of any such regulations should be crafted by persons with real expertise in the needs of the listed animal, rather than by fishermen who may be more concerned with the viability of their fishery than with the ultimate fate of the species in question.<br /><br />My view arises out of my experiences as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, when I served as a member of the Protected Resources Committee. When issues arose--which generally involved gill net interactions with sea turtles or recommendations of the Large Whale Take Reduction Team--my colleagues were not, as a whole, particularly sympathetic to ESA concerns. While I would be wrong to characterize their attitude as indifference to the fate of protected species, for they certainly didn't want to see any species' demise, their emphasis was always on minimizing disruptions to fishermen's livelihoods, rather than minimizing take of listed species.<br /><br />While I can appreciate their concerns, and don't believe that fishermen should be burdened any more than is necessary to adequately protect a listed species, there is often a significant disconnect between what a fisherman believes "is necessary to adequately protect a listed species" and what a biologist, unburdened by concerns over impacts of regulatory measures on his or his colleagues' livelihood, would consider adequate measures.<br /><br />When we realize that listed species are those which are not only depleted, but depleted to the point that such species' survival is in doubt, it is probably best to err on the side of caution when crafting regulatory measures, and such precautionary measures are, in my view, best crafted by those who aren't influenced by concerns that such regulations might have a significant negative impact on their incomes.Charles Witekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16752632941300366580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896836091935734799.post-67708644635310297192014-02-16T08:55:00.502-05:002014-02-16T08:55:00.502-05:00I thought I would try to expand on and briefly exp...I thought I would try to expand on and briefly explain our position regarding how ESA works with MSA and the changes we would like to see. As you know it is a complex topic but I will keep it simple.<br /><br /> <br /><br />When a species receives an ESA listing determination a Section 7 biological opinion is conducted to determine if a fishery and its interactions with that listed species may inhibit or “jeopardize” its recovery. Depending upon the outcome and results of the biological opinion, Reasonable and Prudent Measures or Alternatives may be needed to reduce the impact of fisheries on the species. <br /><br /> <br /><br />RPA’s and RPM’s are often in the form of regulations like gear modifications, closed areas, closed seasons or a combination of all three. <br /><br /> <br /><br />We feel strongly that when these types of regulatory measures are necessary to reduce the impacts on an ESA species, the fishery measures should be developed by the Council that has regulatory control over the fishery in question. <br /><br /> <br /><br />This requirement does not impact the ESA process but it will allow for a more deliberative process whereby modifications to a fishery will not only reduce the risk to an ESA species but also avoid a unnecessary burden on the fishing industry.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Greg DiDomenico<br /><br />Executive Director<br /><br />Garden State Seafood Association<br /><br />Gregory DiDomeniconoreply@blogger.com