RFA / TEXAS POSITION PAPER

August 24, 2009

By Jim Smarr,
Chairman
RFA /TEXAS

Re: Federal Management of Important Recreational Fisheries.

The Texas Chapter of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, agrees that the current federal management of many important recreational fisheries has failed. Recreational anglers currently have less access to the rebuilding fish stocks despite progress being made in many fisheries. RFA agrees that something needs to change. However, RFA is confident that recreational catch shares and / or limited access privilege programs are not the answer. Based on the profound impact these measures would have on the recreational fishing community and related businesses, RFA is proud to be one of "those groups" that just says NO to catch shares or any other scheme that excludes recreational anglers.

RFA outlined our opposition in detailed comments submitted to this council in June 2009, and again to NOAA Advisor Monica Medena in late July. We will not rehash every point discussed in those comments, but in summary, the RFA found no place for the catch shares or limited access programs in the traditional recreational fishery.

For the record, RFA contends that there are two things that need to be fixed. First, Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) needs to be amended immediately, to provide councils some limited flexibility in setting T.A.C.s, and to include all available science, not just the limited data deemed by NMFS as “best available”. This would allow the council to incorporate important information such as the findings of Dr. Bob Shipp on the habitat bottleneck in red snapper, and Dr. Frank Hester on selectivity issues in the red snapper assessment. Secondly, it is clear as illustrated in the red snapper fishery, that ending overfishing in one year is an impossible mandate. This is one of the unfortunate consequences of the intensive lobbying efforts of the Pew funded environmental organizations with anti-fishing agendas. The council needs to have a minimum of 3-5 years to review all available data and make informed decisions on measures to end overfishing.

RFA puts these potential solutions on the table and asks the Gulf Council and members of the recreational fishing community to give them serious consideration. RFA is not reluctant in the least to state our opposition to recreational catch shares. We hope other organizations will state their position on measures that will impact recreational anglers in such a bold manner.

 

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