Recreational
angling reels in
huge economic numbers
Catching just 3% of
U.S.-caught saltwater fish, recreational angling outpaces
commercial fishing in economic benefits
by Mike
Nussman, President & CEO
American
Sportfishing Association
According to the NOAA website, saltwater commercial fishing, from
harvesting to processing, to wholesaling, to retailing produces about
1,509,108 jobs in the U.S. But more than 80 percent of our fish
and shellfish are imported. So if we look at just the commercial
jobs from U.S.-caught fish and shellfish, the number drops to 611,372
jobs. If we look just at finfish, the number drops further to 423,208
jobs.
NOAA tells us that saltwater recreational fishing produces
533,813 U.S. jobs.
From a jobs perspective, saltwater recreational fishing and
saltwater commercial
fishing are pretty close
in terms of employing
Americans.
However, NOAA has never given recreational angling its due, for a variety
of reasons, but primarily because NOAA is a part of the Department of
Commerce and the Department of Commerce simply doesn't understand
recreation. It has no recreational programs and there is nothing
like the state fish and wildlife programs or even the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service within the Department of
Commerce.
Another possible reason the Department of Commerce ignores recreational
angling is that, according to NOAA data, commercial harvesters catch 97
percent of U.S.-caught saltwater fish. Recreational anglers
catch only 3 percent. It is true that Alaskan pollock and menhaden make up
many tons of the commercial catch, but still, just 3 percent is
recreational.
These figures take on a whole different meaning when you
take those percentages and tie them back to the jo bs numbers. The
commercial fishing sector claims 423,208 with 97 percent of the entire
harvest. The recreational sector claims 533,813 jobs with just 3 percent of
the catch.
On an apples to apples basis, for every 1,000 pounds of
commercial catch, 0.06 jobs are produced. For every 1,000 pounds of
recreational catch, 2.09 jobs are created. It is time for a new paradigm
in federal fisheries management.
Click
HERE
check out other demographic and economic data on recreational fishing
gathered by the American Sportfishing Association.
CCA and Valero Partner in Conservation
Multi-year sponsorship continues CCA youth angler outreach
and education program
Coastal Conservation Association and Valero Energy Corporation have announced
plans
to continue their successful relationship to promote conservation ethics
and education among young anglers
through the award-winning CCA Rising Tide youth outreach and education
program. The Rising Tide program
 was
launched initially in 2007 with Valero’s support and the company
this week announced that it will continue its sponsorship of the program
through 2012.
“Parents and
teachers know well how difficult it is these days to get kids thinking
about the world beyond their cell phones and video games. You have
to get creative to get kids thinking about their role as future stewards
of our marine resources, and Valero’s support of the Rising Tide program
is allowing us to do that,” said Pat Murray, CCA executive vice president.
“We are excited about building this program for the next three years and
beyond.
Through a dynamic youth program that includes an eye-catching newsletter,
marine conservation lesson plan and interactive web site, Valero and CCA
are endeavoring to capture the enthusiasm of children and encourage them
to understand and protect the coastal landscape. The Texas Outdoor Writers
Association recognized this multi-media program for excellence in 2008.
“The award-winning Rising Tide program teaches children
at an early age the importance of caring for the environment and
conservation. This is a great investment in our children’s future” said
Eric Fisher, VP Investor and Corporate Communications Valero Energy
Corporation.
“Making students and others aware of the conservation
challenges that face our bays and oceans and helping them be part of the
solution is the foundation for a lifetime of conservation,” said Murray.
“We are fortunate to have a partner in Valero that is committed to
educating youth about marine conservation.”
Reefs today for fish tomorrow
150 tons of concrete and rock debris to
be added to reef
nine miles offshore
CCA Texas recently
donated $25,000 to fund 150 tons of concrete and rock debris to be added
to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Vancouver reefing area
in state waters just nine miles off the coast of Freeport. The
undertaking will be a joint effort between CCA Texas’ Habitat Today for
Fish
Tomorrow program (HTFT), TPWD and local and private businesses, which will
provide services and expertise for transporting, storing and placing of
the reef material which was donated by Texas A&M Galveston.
This project is important in many
regards. Not only is this the first major project undertaken by the
new HTFT program, the reef will provide vital habitat for many species of
reef dwelling fish as well as afford an incredible fishing opportunity
within easy reach of anglers.
“This project is a win-win,” said CCA
Texas HTFT Director, John Blaha. “The materials are going to be
placed in an area with already established reefs so logically the species
already in the area will be able to significantly expand their range and
numbers. Anglers will benefit by having additional areas to fish
within an easy boat ride from the coast. It is an exciting time for
HTFT, and the members of CCA Texas should feel great pride in this
important conservation project. This is just the first of several
projects of this nature that HTFT is going to participate in along the
coast. We anticipate great things from HTFT and for the future of the
resource.”
In addition to reefing projects, HTFT
will be heavily involved with other projects such as marsh replenishment,
bay debris clean-ups and other enhancement projects vital to conserving
Texas coast areas for future generations of Texans.
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3,000 Ghost Nets to Disappear
$4.5 million federal grant to speed removal of derelict fishing gear
from Puget Sound
The
marine resources of Puget Sound received a tremendous boost yesterday
when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
announced the Northwest Straits Commission will receive a $4.5 million
grant to remove derelict gill nets lost or discarded in Puget Sound.
Since its inception in 2006, Coastal Conservation Association (CCA)
Washington has strongly supported funding for the Northwest Straits
Commission and has lobbied federal and state officials to take action
to remove these silent killers.
“Ghost nets haunt our waters,” said Bryan Irwin, Executive Director
of CCA in the Pacific Northwest. “These invisible killers of ESA-listed
salmon, marine mammals and other marine life take a devastating toll.
We commend NOAA for not only recognizing this serious environmental
challenge, but also targeting these funds to remove 3,000
high-priority derelict gill nets from Puget Sound. The project is an
important first step toward the real solution of ending the use of
these dangerous nets in our waters.”
Lost and abandoned gill nets create a vicious cycle of destruction.
They continuously ensnare fish, crabs and marine mammals which then
die, attracting additional predators, which then also become
ensnared. The nets also wreak havoc on marine habitat. Carried by
currents and tides, they scrape the floors of rivers and bays,
scouring the fragile ecosystems.
In
addition to supporting funding for derelict net removal, CCA
Washington has also called upon state officials to move boldly to
reduce the ongoing loss of commercial fishing gear and to hold offenders
accountable. Proposed measures include mandatory identification tags
for active gear, and mandatory reporting of lost gear.
“CCA Washington applauds the efforts of the Northwest
Straits Commission, Senator Patty Murray, Congressman Norm Dicks and
Congressman Rick Larsen for working to remove these destructive nets,”
concluded Irwin. “These nets lie under the water’s surface destroying
marine life around the clock, out of the sight and mind of the general
public.” |
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission
survives attack
Washington adjourned its 2009
legislative session with the current Fish and Wildlife
Commission still intact despite a concerted effort to tear it down.
Two separate bills backed by the commercial fishing industry sought to
reduce the Fish and Wildlife Commission's authority to that of an
advisory board, and replace all sitting Commissioners as punishment
for recent pro-conservation decisions.
CCA Washington drew on the power of its
grassroots, expert lobbying and official testimony presented by its
Government Relations Committee to expose the motivation of the bills’
backers. Commercial interests had been working for three years to
weaken the F&W Commission, but CCA Washington rallied to gain 14
committee votes in only four weeks in the successful effort to stop
both bills.
Giant Salmon Spotted in
Puget Sound
San Juan Propane is demonstrating their support for CCA in the Pacific
Northwest in a big way. Their propane tanker truck travels around the
islands of the Puget Sound by ferry and the mainland of Anacortes
supplying propane and raising awareness for CCA. The truck has been
featured in several local newspapers and magazines, and the owner
reports numerous phone calls from passengers on ferry boats asking
about CCA.
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From the National Marine Manufacturers Association
Move to Increase Ethanol Blend Levels
Alarms Boat Owners
On March 6, 2009, a new pro-ethanol lobbying
organization called Growth Energy and 54 ethanol manufacturers
formally
requested that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) increase
ethanol blend levels in gasoline up to 15 percent (E15). As
is required by law, EPA on April 21 published a Notice for Comment
in the Federal Register, beginning a 30-day public comment period.
On May 15, the
EPA
extended the comment period. The original public comment
period was slated to end on May 21, 2009 but will now be extended to
July 20, 2009.
Ethanol Advocates are mobilizing their forces to submit 20,000
favorable comments to the EPA requesting that the Agency grant a waiver
for E15.
There are 18
million boats currently in operation in the U.S., and none of them
has been designed, certified or warrantied to run on anything above
E10, the current maximum legal blend level. Boaters know very well
that increased ethanol blends will cause performance problems with
their boats and engines, increase maintenance costs, potentially
pose safety risks and increase air pollution. E15 will also void
manufacturer warranties.
And yet, neither EPA nor any other federal agency has
done a single test on the impacts of E15 on marine engines, fuel
systems, or components. NMMA asks you to support a science first
approach and urge EPA to deny the ethanol industry's E15 waiver
request unless and until independent and comprehensive scientific
testing is completed on a full range of marine engines and other
products.
Click
HERE to go the NMMA Action Center with more background
information and links to submit comments on the proposal to increase
ethanol blend levels.
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Gill net
arrests on rise in Alabama waters
Anonymous tip to CCA Alabama hotline
leads to latest arrest
By JEFF DUTE
Outdoors Editor
Alabama Press Register
Re-printed from the Mobile
Press-Register
An anonymous
tip led to the arrest of a Fairhope man on recreational gill-net
charges last week, possibly earning cash for the tipster under the
Coastal Conservation Association's reward program.
Capt. Glenn
Kornegay of the Alabama Marine Resources Division said the information
received indicated a gill net was repeatedly being set illegally off
Mobile Bay's Eastern Shore south of Fairhope. MRD personnel based in
Gulf Shores checked the area four or five times, he said, before
Officer Cole Gates located it shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
CEO Trey Pose
set up surveillance on the net, Kornegay said, and at about 7 a.m.,
two men showed up. Kornegay said that Pose waited until one of the
men, Cecil Daniel Taylor, 60, waded into the water, retrieved the net
and began picking out the fish.
Taylor faces
charges for an unattended net; setting an unmarked net; recreational
netting without a recreational license; setting a recreational net
beyond 300 feet from shore; and, because there were five speckled
trout in the net, possession of game fish while in possession of a
gill net. Taylor was also charged with public intoxication. He was
taken to jail and released the same day on $100 bond, according to
Baldwin County Jail records.
Besides the
speckled trout, Kornegay said there were about 50 pounds of mullet in
the net.
A second man,
McArthur Anthony, 67, also of Fairhope, was issued warnings on the
same offenses. Kornegay said Anthony owned the net but was not charged
because he did not touch the net.
The net and
fish were confiscated.
CCA government
affairs chairman Edwin Lamberth said the arrest is proof that the
organization's community watch on the water program is working.
"Tips like
these are necessary to help MRD enforce our laws," Lamberth said.
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Georgia anglers
donate to red drum study
CCA Georgia recently
presented the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with a
$15,000 donation to support the Peach State Reds Initiative, a pilot
project to determine the feasibility of using hatchery-reared red drum
to enhance angler catches. The funds were raised through the CCA
sponsored Redfish Rally, a coastwide, redfish-with-the-most-spots
tournament.
“Our members are
avid saltwater anglers who want to make sure that future generations
enjoy quality fishing opportunities in healthy coastal ecosystems.
They join a group like CCA Georgia to have a positive influence on
local, state and national conservation efforts,” explained Harry Lowe,
state chairman of CCA Georgia. “We support the Peach State Reds
Initiative because Georgia DNR is committed to the same vision as our
organization and shows it by exploring all fishery management tools,
even those that may be non-traditional.”
Many anglers believe
that Georgia DNR, like its counterparts in some other southeastern
states, should use hatchery-reared saltwater fish as part of its
fishery management program. In 2002, a citizen’s advisory group was
appointed to help Georgia DNR evaluate what action, if any, should be
taken. After 18 months of study, including visits to Florida and South
Carolina to learn about their hatchery-reared red drum projects, the
group recommended that Georgia undertake a pilot red drum stocking
project. The Peach State Reds Initiative was developed in response to
that recommendation, and Georgia DNR applied for Federal Aid in Sport
Fish Restoration to fund the project.
Since Georgia does
not have a saltwater fish hatchery, the South Carolina DNR was
contracted to produce one million red drum fingerlings from adults
captured in Georgia waters. These two-inch fingerlings were released
in the Wassaw estuary near Savannah during the late summer of 2006 and
2007. A 23-acre saltwater pond on Jekyll Island was stocked as well
with 2,200 six-inch fingerlings in the spring of 2007 and 2008.
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