Political Rallies On Both Coasts Set for Monday & Tuesday
Gulf Coast - On Monday, October 8th from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT, Gulf Coast fishermen and their families from Florida's second congressional district will enjoy an old fashioned fish fry in honor of Rep. Steve Southerland. The event is being held at Capt. Anderson's Marina at 5550 North Lagoon Drive in Panama City and will feature a special award presentation with Congressman Southerland himself. "Rep. Steve Southerland is what we like to call a fishing champion," said Jim Donofrio, executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).

"Mr. Southerland's honesty, integrity and candor have been welcomed traits in the fisheries debate in Washington DC, especially in the face of some very tough opposition from the radical zealots who would prefer to trample on America's public access rights to healthy and sustainable natural resources," Donofrio said.

This week, Rep. Southerland joined a coalition of seven Gulf Coast lawmakers in urging the Department of Justice to adhere to the RESTORE Act's payment structure for BP fines collected as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The letter addressed to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder comes amid recent news reports that BP and the Department of Justice DOJ may be trying to get around the legislation which directs millions, and possibly billions, of dollars in oil spill fines to the Gulf Coast.

"The RESTORE Act is the result of a collaborative effort that included the communities hardest hit by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill," Southerland said. "To withhold justice from the people who live along the Gulf Coast and endured the economic nightmare of this disaster would be a blatant violation of the role of government. I believe that fine monies should be processed through the Clean Water Act as was approved by Congress and signed into law by the President."

"Some special interest groups don't like that Rep. Southerland asks serious questions and is willing to stand-up against administrative takeovers and the total circumvention of the legislative process, but it's good to know that the coastal constituents appreciate the fact that they have fighter in Washington DC on their behalf," Donofrio said.

RFA and more than 40 other fishing organizations hosted a national rally in Washington DC this past March, featuring approximately two dozen members of Congress, including Rep. Southerland, who pledged their support for coastal fishermen. On Monday, members of the Keep Fishermen Fishing coalition will present Rep. Southerland with a "2012 Fishing Champion" special award for his dedicated support of coastal fishermen.

The award bearing the names of several local and national fishing organizations includes angler associations like RFA, Panama City Boatmen Association, Capt. Anderson's Marina, Southern Kingfish Association and Big Game Fishing Journal and will be presented to Rep. Southerland by RFA's Forgotten Coast Chairman, Capt. Tom Adams of Mexico Beach Charters.

For more information or to RSVP for Monday's Panama City fish fry, contact Capt. Anderson's Marina directly at 850-234-3435.

Atlantic Coast - On Tuesday, October 9th, the RFA state chapter in Jacksonville will also host an angler's rally starting at 6:30 p.m. The event is being held at Sneakers Grille, 8133 Pointe Meadow Drive in Jacksonville and is open to the public.
A special guest on Tuesday night is Rep. Ander Crenshaw, the Congressman from Florida's fourth congressional district which makes up all of Baker, Columbia, Hamilton, Madison, Nassau, and Union counties and parts of Duval, Jefferson, and Leon counties. Rep. Crenshaw (along with Rep. Southerland) is co-sponsor of the Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act introduced in Congress to deal with restrictive rebuilding deadlines, rigid annual catch limits and accountability measures, and to ensure that the federal government was using the most up-to-date science and recreational data collection.

In addition to Rep. Crenshaw, acclaimed national fishing writer and RFA corporate relations director Gary Caputi will be there, as well as Capt. Vic Tison from VIC2FISH charters in Jacksonville who is spearheading RFA efforts in that region. A membership table will be set up if you would like to become an RFA Member to help fight for your right to fish. There will also be a 50/50 raffle and numerous prize drawings.

Get more details this Saturday morning on AM600 WBOB radio from 6 to 7 a.m. with Capt. Vic Tison, Capt. Mike Darveau and Capt. Roger Bump.

For anglers in St. John's, Flagler and Putnam counties, RFA member David Plummer is working hard on getting a new RFA chapter up specifically for you. The aptly named RFA-SFP chapter will help strengthen state efforts to meet the national RFA mission, "to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our Nation's saltwater fisheries."

For more information about RFA's newest Florida chapter coming soon to St. John's, Flagler and Putnam counties, contact David Plummer at 904-860-4257.