I'm going to kick off this board with a simple question that I honestly do not know the answer to. Do recreational anglers still have what it takes to save our right to fish? I may have been MIA from local websites, but I have stayed involved in fisheries management and in the over 30-years I've been involved I have never seen such an absence of recreational anglers involved in the process. We have somehow managed to allow fisheries managers to all but eliminate us from many of our traditional fisheries, when we were never the problem to begin with. And when I say we, I include the for-hire industry.
We are losing access to our traditional fisheries at a rate like I've never seen. I understand that many New York anglers are intimidated to simply attend some of these hearings, myself included, but I go. Even though the decisi0on is usually made before the hearing. From blackfish, to bluefish, to sea bass, and next striped bass, recreational anglers are absent from the equation. There was a time when we made a real difference when legislators listened and considered our wants and needs. Now it's like we're not even in the room.
Where are our leaders? Who are our leaders? Where is the New York Sportfishing Federation? Do they have any members? What about the local CCA? How many dues-paying anglers do they actually represent?
I'm not attacking anyone here, I just want to know where everyone is and what have they accomplished? Is there a plan on how to approach the coming reduction of striped bass? Will fisheries managers be successful in their efforts to separate the charter and party boat industry from the rec sector when the truth is its rec anglers on those boats for hire.
There was a time when we made a huge difference and accomplished things that seemed impossible. I was at the helm when we managed to pass the bunker legislation that has resulted in bunker being found in waters we haven't seen in years. That bill took 2-years of constant work to get passed, but it was worth it. In addition to having enough forage fish for our inshore fisheries. We now have bald eagles as well as more Ospreys in decades, nesting along the Long Island coast due in large part to the availability of bunker. As a LI Sound anger, I can say with certainty that I have never seen this many bunkers. We didn't get that done by screaming and yelling at meetings, we got it done the right way, through our elected officials.
We passed that bill while facing one of the most organized and influential harvesters of bunker in the nation, Omega Protein. If we beat them, we can beat anyone. Recently a few phone calls preserved the remains of the TZ Bridge to be added to our fishing reefs. Had those calls not been made they would have been added to our rail cars that NJ anglers are now seeing the fruits of. Screaming and yelling at meetings NEVER end up well - NEVER.
It's time we step up to the plate and use the power of social media to organize a strategy to make sure we are the major players at the upcoming striped bass battle that is almost certain to be here soon. We need to be united with the for-hire sector. Remember they are nothing more than Uber for anglers. They're not setting a gill net, or dragging or setting a mile of hooks and bait. They are fishing with a rod and reel, hoping to catch that fish of a lifetime. Don't buy into the crap that charter and party boats are our enemies because they're not the problem.
So who is going to run with it? You better watch closely as they all claim to represent you and this coming battle cannot be won on the hearing level.
We are losing access to our traditional fisheries at a rate like I've never seen. I understand that many New York anglers are intimidated to simply attend some of these hearings, myself included, but I go. Even though the decisi0on is usually made before the hearing. From blackfish, to bluefish, to sea bass, and next striped bass, recreational anglers are absent from the equation. There was a time when we made a real difference when legislators listened and considered our wants and needs. Now it's like we're not even in the room.
Where are our leaders? Who are our leaders? Where is the New York Sportfishing Federation? Do they have any members? What about the local CCA? How many dues-paying anglers do they actually represent?
I'm not attacking anyone here, I just want to know where everyone is and what have they accomplished? Is there a plan on how to approach the coming reduction of striped bass? Will fisheries managers be successful in their efforts to separate the charter and party boat industry from the rec sector when the truth is its rec anglers on those boats for hire.
There was a time when we made a huge difference and accomplished things that seemed impossible. I was at the helm when we managed to pass the bunker legislation that has resulted in bunker being found in waters we haven't seen in years. That bill took 2-years of constant work to get passed, but it was worth it. In addition to having enough forage fish for our inshore fisheries. We now have bald eagles as well as more Ospreys in decades, nesting along the Long Island coast due in large part to the availability of bunker. As a LI Sound anger, I can say with certainty that I have never seen this many bunkers. We didn't get that done by screaming and yelling at meetings, we got it done the right way, through our elected officials.
We passed that bill while facing one of the most organized and influential harvesters of bunker in the nation, Omega Protein. If we beat them, we can beat anyone. Recently a few phone calls preserved the remains of the TZ Bridge to be added to our fishing reefs. Had those calls not been made they would have been added to our rail cars that NJ anglers are now seeing the fruits of. Screaming and yelling at meetings NEVER end up well - NEVER.
It's time we step up to the plate and use the power of social media to organize a strategy to make sure we are the major players at the upcoming striped bass battle that is almost certain to be here soon. We need to be united with the for-hire sector. Remember they are nothing more than Uber for anglers. They're not setting a gill net, or dragging or setting a mile of hooks and bait. They are fishing with a rod and reel, hoping to catch that fish of a lifetime. Don't buy into the crap that charter and party boats are our enemies because they're not the problem.
So who is going to run with it? You better watch closely as they all claim to represent you and this coming battle cannot be won on the hearing level.
