On Wednesday, Feb. 24, fisher men, women and children, held a rally in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate against the negative effects of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and show their dismay about fisheries management in general.
One local captain details the experience in words and pictures.
“I boarded a charter bus at South Jersey Marina at 7 a.m. along with 50 plus others; commercial, charter, recreation and others in the marine industry field. We were very fortunate. Steve Spagnola of Sea Tow in Cape May took it on his own to organize a charter bus for the rally in Washington. Not only did he get a bus but he solicited support from local marinas, organizations, associations, a fishing Web-site and businesses that are directly effected by unfair fisheries laws.
“All these groups stepped up to the occasion and kicked in money for the trip and came through big time, paying for the bus, lunch, an after the trip get together, making the trip free for all those that made the effort to go to the rally.
“Even though I disagree with the RFA on the New Jersey Saltwater Fishing License issue, I gave them my full support on the rally. They were dead right and did an excellent job on organizing and running the rally in Washington. Ray Bogan did an excellent job of running the show and maintaining a good flow.
“The rally was to show support for new legislation proposed to remedy some of the flaws in the current regulations. At present the lack of flexibility in the Magnuson Stevenson Act for rebuilding our fisheries stocks and the use of MRFs data that has been proven totally worthless, is still being used to make fisheries management decisions. This lack of flexibility and use of bad information has put numerous people out of work and threatens million dollar fisheries dependent businesses along coastal communities on the east and west coasts and Alaska.
“For a first time rally there was an excellent turn out. There were representatives from Florida to Maine, the west coast and even Alaska.
“Don’t think it was possible to count the numbers but it was in the thousands all of which had a positive impact.
“The list of government officials that spoke at the rally was long as they were present in Washington for various votes and were grabbed for the rally during their break periods. Every coastal state concerned about the fishing industry made an effort to speak at the rally. Our Senator LoBiondo and well know Senator Dodd were among the many.
“Most prevalent at the rally were those most adversely effected and who have been or will be most economically harmed. I realize that most recreational fishermen fish as a hobby and are not as severely effected but considering the large numbers of recreational fishermen, there should have been a lot more in attendance. Maybe next time.
“Overall, it was very worth attending. For all those that missed it, you were well represented by those who did and everyone came away feeling good about taking the day off to attend. Now it is just a matter of educating our fellow fishermen and government officials that we mean business and that we are not going to settle for being unfairly treated.
For all those that made it a success.
Job Well Done. Captain Ray Szulczewski, Cape May.
(Check out Ray’s photos from the rally)
For another interesting viewpoint on the rally, check out FishNetUSA.com
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