Texas Fishing Reports - - FILL THIS OUT NOW!! FRA Washington Trip Petition - I recieved this email just now. Please everyone fill this out! Everybody knows what the Feds have done to our Red Snapper season over the last few years. We also know the stock i

Capt_Dan

I recieved this email just now. Please everyone fill this out!

Everybody knows what the Feds have done to our Red Snapper season over the last few years. We also know the stock is as healthy as it has been in years. With all the screaming we have done in the last year, NOAA finally had to admit that the stock is dramatically improved and is even talking about increasing the “Total Allowable Catch TAC)” next year. Sounds great, but they have found another way to keep us off the water and that is to claim we are catching more Red Snapper in less time than ever before. For years NOAA said we caught roughly 4,500,000 pounds of Red Snapper in the Gulf in a 194 day season with a four fish limit. Now they are trying to say that last year we caught the same 4,500,000 pounds in a 66 day season and a two fish limit. For this to be true our four pound fish have suddenly become forty pounds. As insane is this is, NOAA is winning this battle and talking an even shorter season next year. I could see them calling for a 30 day season to make up for that phantom extra 2,000,000 pounds we caught above and beyond the TAC they set for last year. This has got to change or none of us will be fishing for anything. Today it’s Red Snapper, tomorrow it will be Mahi, Grouper, Amberjack, Ling, etc, etc.

Next week a large group of people From the Fishing Rights Alliance are flying to Washington to try to get the point across to our elected officials how NOAA and National Marine Fisheries is killing our ability to fish in the Gulf of Mexico with this “Voodoo Data Collection” and the conclusions and insane rules that come from it. I know y’all have written numerous letters and attended many meetings to let them know your thoughts, but this is an ongoing process. Please help these people going to Washington on our behalf by going to the links below and sign the enclosed petitions. The ONLY way elected officials respond is to see for themselves the number of people affected. The more people, willing to sign these petitions, the easier it will be for the FRA to present our case in Washington. There is strength in numbers. Please hurry and get your petition in asap as there is little time left before the FRA representatives leave for Washington; and they are going to hand carry every petition.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fishingmatterstome/ Letter For Anglers

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fishingmatterstomyjob/ If your Job Relies on Fishing

http://www.thefra.org/jobletter.htm If You Are a Business Owner Affected By Overly Restrictive Fishing Rules

In addition, the FRA wants to get personal meetings with as many Congressmen and Senators as possible. A great number of these meetings are already scheduled, however they want to get many more scheduled. If anybody has a personal contact that could facilitate a meeting with any of our elected officials please send me a PM. Thanks for the help.
_________________
F/V AMBUSH
DONT GET NERVOUS

ding_a_ling · Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 2:16 am Post subject: Snapper Stocks

Has anyone ever asked the question of what were the snapper stocks like before there were oil rigs in the Gulf? If I had to guess I would say that it would be a fraction of the current stocks or even a fraction when the stocks were at their lowest. Oil rigs artificially inflated snapper populations to their current level. In actuality the rigs are creating a mock snapper farm in the Gulf. Wonder what the natural population would be had there never been any oil rigs placed in the Gulf. Better yet what net effect do these artificially inflated snapper stocks have on the ecosystem. Is it negative or positive? Would it be better for the ecosystem to keep current regs or even increase them to keep stocks in check? Like to see someone study that.

Capt_Dan · Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 10:02 am Post subject:

That is an interesting point..
_________________
F/V AMBUSH
DONT GET NERVOUS

ding_a_ling · Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 1:40 pm Post subject:

Oh and by increase regs I mean to increase the current limits to a higher number or keep an open season. Also, if snapper populations get so high what effect will that have on say shrimp populations? More snapper less shrimp. Gulf shrimping industry is huge and a decline in shrimp populations could have detrimental effects economically. Typical bureaucracy. Create a problem and fix it. Oh and then blame the recreational fisherman!

Wacker · ****STUNTER**** Joined: Jan 14, 2009 Posts: 273

Done!

Bret · Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:43 pm Post subject:

did it yesterday.. Thanks for posting the link


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