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Ocean Trespassing or
Lights out and Lock Down
The USA feds have decided that our oceans and the Great Lakes along with their freshwater tributaries need protecting, from all USA citizens also, in particular the highly suspect recreational angler.
Under the pretense of preservation and protection the new Interim Report of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force appears to be putting the oceans in lock down. Here is what the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) had to say about it: "While we are by and large supportive of the intent of the Interim Report, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) has serious concerns regarding the direction the administration is taking regarding how to manage our nation’s marine and freshwater public resources, choosing a tone of preservation over conservation," said ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson. "We are very disappointed that the task force failed to recognize recreational fishing’s significant conservation, economic and social contributions and include recreational fishing as a key policy component. The sportfishing community strongly supports healthy and abundant ocean, coastal and fishery resources which have a direct impact on sustaining vibrant local coastal communities. Outdoor recreation, especially recreational fishing, is an integral part of coastal economies throughout this nation and therefore should be included as a priority in any national ocean policy."
"In regards to recreational fishing specifically, it is a long-standing policy of the federal government to allow public access to public lands and waters for recreational purposes consistent with sound conservation including the nation’s wildlife refuges, national forests, and national parks and should be reflected in a national policy for the oceans and Great Lakes. In fact, the use of public resources by recreational anglers is essential to the conservation model used in this country for fish and wildlife management," said ASA Ocean Resource Policy Director Patty Doerr.
Since 1950, with the passage of the Sport Fish Restoration Act, anglers and the sportfishing industry have provided the bulk of funding for fisheries conservation and management in the United States through fishing license fees and the federal manufacturers excise tax on recreational fishing equipment. According to NOAA Fisheries, saltwater anglers contribute over $82 billion annually to the economy, yes that’s with a “B” as in BILLION. Despite taking only three percent of the saltwater fish harvested each year, the recreational sector creates nearly half the jobs coming from domestic saltwater fisheries.
The overall theme to the Interim Report appears to be preservation which is a very good thing only this report suggests more preservation than conservation. Preservation is an act that will preserve “to keep or save from decomposition” something in its current state whereby conservation is an act that will conserve to avoid wasteful or destructive use of something but still allow use of it. Preservation regarding the US Government tends to mean closing the place to preserve it for viewing from afar. Conservation on the other hand generally is meant to avoid destruction and enhance the area while users enjoy it. Semantics it may be but in government jargon one word can be the difference between access and no access.
Recreational anglers must weigh in on this topic to ensure access is provided. While we have great NGOs that champion the cause for recreational anglers, without the public’s voice they won’t stand a chance.
The word “security” can also play a huge roll in today’s USA government and can be overused on our own shores to eliminate access to traditional recreational fishing grounds just because they happen to be on the coast. Again, there are several NGOs working to ensure access but they also need the public’s voice. If all Americans sit back and comment without speaking up then only a handful of law makers are actually running the country.
Do your part and weigh in on this Interim Report by reading it at http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/09_17_09_
Interim_Report_of_Task_Force_FINAL2.pdf , yes it is a bit long winded but wade through it and decide for yourself if you as an angler will be guaranteed recreational access under this new proposal. To let them know what you think of the proposal go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/
oceans/interimreport/result-Y/ or to http://capwiz.com/keepamericafishing/issues/alert/?alertid=14119696 .
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