FLORIDA SENATOR SUPPORTS "FLEXIBILITY BILL" IN DC
RFA-NOFL Chapter Kicks Off For 2010

The Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009 received some much-needed legislative juice from the Sunshine State, as U.S. Senator George LeMieux (R-FL) urged colleagues to amend the federal law to allow for more flexible and science-based timelines for fisheries closures in an effort to reduce the negative economic impacts felt by the recreational fishing industry. "Fishing communities are losing millions of dollars each year because of rigid laws requiring the closure of entire fisheries for extended periods of time - regardless of whether the fish stock has recovered," LeMieux said. "Basing closure decisions on sound science and environmental conditions will ensure that fisheries are rebuilt in a way that helps to keep fishing communities economically viable, without compromising the goal of protecting fish stocks," the senator added.

Sen. LeMieux publicly endorsed Senate bill 1255, the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act, authored by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and co-sponsored by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). If passed, S1255 would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Act to allow fishery management plan managers to specify a time period for rebuilding fisheries that is both practical and efficient. The bill maintains the requirement that overfishing be ended within one year but it gives regulators the option of allowing fishing for strong species in a fishery that is currently barred to protect the weakest stock.

A House version of the bill (HR1584) is sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and currently boasts the support of 25 bipartisan coastal co-sponsors, including Southeastern U.S. congressional representatives Henry Brown, Jr. (R-SC),Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), Allen Boyd (D-FL), Jo Bonner (R-AL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Clifford Stearns (R-FL), Donna Christensen (D-VI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and John Mica (R-FL).

Rep. Mica has also sponsored legislation in the House (HR3307) which place on hold a proposed ban on red snapper fishing while directing the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study of the population of red snapper. The Mica bill, if passed, would essentially limit the authority of the Secretary to move forward with any interim rule that prohibits red snapper fishing until the study is reported to Congress. "Sport and commercial fishing is becoming an endangered activity," Rep. Mica said

"Before we halt fishing, it is important that we secure accurate information on the health and status of the current red snapper population," Rep. Mica stated, adding "This legislation could also prevent more job losses during this time of economic uncertainty."

Jobs creation in America is lending additional support to pending fisheries legislation in both the House and Senate as coastal legislators continue to whip up legislative support for their fishing communities. Sen. LeMieux has spent several months talking to stakeholders in the Florida fishing community. "During my recent trip to the Florida panhandle, I spoke with area fishermen regarding new government regulations imposed on recreational fishing for red snapper, amberjack and other Gulf of Mexico fish," Sen. LeMieux said. "The decisions to close Florida fisheries to recreational fishing are disappointing and threaten the livelihood of a great number of Floridians."

In officially supporting the flexibility legislation authored by Sen. Schumer, Sen. LeMieux endorses a bipartisan bill which would require fisheries rebuilding to be completed on a timeline that allows fish stocks to recover without unnecessarily harming the livelihood of recreational fishermen and the fishing industry in general. "Besides the lack of sound science on which to base these decisions, closures of the South Atlantic grouper and red snapper fishery in January and the Gulf of Mexico grouper fishery in February come during Florida's peak recreational fishing and tourism months," Sen. LeMieux added.

JACKSONVILLE-BASED RFA CHAPTER IS UP & AT 'EM!

The North Florida chapter of the RFA (RFA-NOFL) has been launched for 2010, with a new board and slate of officers that many Jacksonville area anglers will no doubt recognize. New RFA-NOFL State Chairman for 2010 is Rick Hale, longtime owner of Rick's Seafood, Bait & Tackle on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville. Hale helped spearhead the launch of the new RFA-NOFL chapter in order to help build grassroots support for the rights of saltwater anglers and business owners in northern Florida, and has already hit the ground running in getting support from local legislators. "We are ready to put our charter in full swing, and already have a group in place that is very serious about this fight and feel very strong about their political views," Hale said.

Chairman - Rick Hale
Vice Chairman - Ron Langston
Membership - Charles Millet
Treasurer - Rick Smallwood
Secretary - Keith Secor
Media - Joe Dionne

"We have more that are interested, but I want to see if they will fit in with the group that I have put together," Hale said of the new board, while adding that he's already been in contact with Florida congressmen and senators, while Joe Dionne is working to get in contact with the media and local politicians.

As a state chapter of the national RFA, the RFA-NOFL chapter is designated as a 501C4 non-profit organization, which qualifies the organization to coordinate lobbying activities on behalf of members while actively engaging in political campaign activity, so long as this is consistent with the organization's purpose and is not the organization's primary activity. The RFA-NOFL mission is to "safeguard the rights of Florida's saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our nation's fisheries."

"Our national efforts in DC will only be strengthened by a strong chapter presence on the ground in Northern Florida," said Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the RFA. "We have a lot of work to do in DC, particularly with the fishermen's rally on February 24 to get the Magnuson Stevens Act fixed, so having Rick and the crew in place down in Jacksonville today helps immensely in safeguarding angler rights tomorrow."
To contact Rick Hale and the RFA-NOFL chapter, email bait48@yahoo.com.

For more information about RFA chapters, visit www.joinrfa.org/State_Chapter.asp

To sign up for future email alerts and join the national organization fighting to safeguard the rights of Florida's saltwater anglers, visit www.joinrfa.org

. FISHING GROUPS UNITE TO FIGHT FISHERIES COLLAPSE!

The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC) has now made major closures of snapper and grouper fisheries and has a proposal for a total closure of snapper for an undetermined amount of time, as well as a proposal to stop all bottom fishing because of the potential that a snapper may be killed as by catch. The areas affected run from the Carolina to Key West and similar restrictions are being enacted in the Gulf.

In a cooperative effort, a number of clubs and organizations have joined forces to fight current and potential fishery closures dictated by the SAFMC as well as demand the science used to enact those closures be examined and fixed. Our members have fished and dived along the Florida East coast areas for many years and maintain a first hand knowledge of the health of the fishery. To be honest- where it was in decline 20 years ago, the current restrictions for minimum size and catch have worked to point where we believe the red snapper stock is healthier than it has been at any time in the last 25 years.

We contest the data being presented that shows the fishery to be in decline as being significantly flawed. And to be honest, as sportsmen, if we felt that the fishery was in trouble as we did many years ago, we would advocate new restrictions. These draconian measures are already having a catastrophic economical snowball effect in the State of Florida, from tourism dollars, to tackle and bait shops to charter Captains along with degradation in the historical way of life for all involved.

But the biggest impact will be to our way of life as citizens of this country and what we support as our right to be able to go out and fish, have a good time and eat what we catch in a reasonable recreational sustainable fishery.

The petition calls for Congress to pass legislation to restrict the Commerce Department from enacting any further closures in the South Atlantic Region, and rescind the current interim closure of Red Snapper until fisheries managers.

Visit and sign the petition at petition.deep-blue-sea.org

Clubs and organizations involved in the petition include:

RFA- Recreational Fishing Alliance
CFOA- Central Florida Offshore Anglers

FSFA- Florida Sport Fishing Association

HSFC- Halifax Sport Fishing Club
FRA- Fishing Rights Alliance

SISA- Sebastian Inlet Sport Fishing Assoc

Deep Blue Sea Fishing Forum

In related news from the RFA-NOFL legal front, attorney Dave Heil said the red snapper legal challenge is still alive.

The Florida-based attorney and RFA member said the red snapper challenge was filed due to systemic failure of the entire fishery management system.

"The process was doomed from the beginning when the SAFMC set an arbitrary benchmark date of 1945 for Red Snapper even though they were aware that there was no reliable data prior to 1980, the stock assessments contained fundamental errors in the attempt to extrapolate the data back, the Science and Statistical Committee failed to recognize these obvious errors and the National Marine Fisheries Service approval of this baseless regulation," Heil added.

"Our legal challenge to this arbitrary and capricious regulation will continue until we are successful in having this regulation throw out by the Federal Court," Heil said recently. The Florida-based attorney and RFA member said the red snapper challenge was filed due to systemic failure of the entire fishery management system. "The process was doomed from the beginning when the SAFMC set an arbitrary benchmark date of 1945 for Red Snapper even though they were aware that there was no reliable data prior to 1980, the stock assessments contained fundamental errors in the attempt to extrapolate the data back, the Science and Statistical Committee failed to recognize these obvious errors and the National Marine Fisheries Service approval of this baseless regulation," Heil added.

The red snapper closure, coupled with the denial of recreational access to other vital coastal fisheries including grouper, amberjack and black sea bass has forced the fishing community's hand in these legal challenges. "We are locked in a battle for our ability to fish with the environmental extremists led by the Pew Foundation," Heil said, adding "their influence at NOAA and the SAFMC are the main reason behind the agenda driven junk science that has artificially created this crises."

RFA reminds anglers that the closures are the result of rigid language written into our federal fisheries law, the Magnuson Stevens Act. On February 24th at noon, several thousand saltwater anglers from along the Atlantic Coast are expected to turn out at the US Capitol in Washington DC in an organized rally for support of HR1584 and S1255, legislation which would address these flaws. Learn more by visiting www.unitedwefish.com or www.joinrfa.org