Proposed NSC & Associates Groundfish Disaster Aid Spending Plan: My vote is NO – Dick Grachek
Dear Dick, We need you to review and vote with a YES or NO on the consensus spending plan and respond to us in writing by 10 am on Monday March 17, 2014. If you vote NO – we would greatly appreciate a brief explanation. Groundfish Disaster Aid Spending Plan hereMy vote is NO.
It’s difficult to give a “brief” explanation because there are so many things so terribly wrong with this proposal. In fact most of it is insulting and infuriating! First of all,,, Read more here 19:02
Sounds like the shit we in nsw Australia are about to get , has the world gone mad I personally belive that its heading that way time to bring out a few strait jackets
Great response Dick! They have alot of “green sock puppet” yes votes lined up for sure. I hope they end up with more NO votes.
Surely, this consortium of groups has as usual, been operating behind the scene to engineer what would amount to the Big Bank bailout of the haves, and the shutting out of the have already been screwed!
You correctly state that this “plan” is hostile to supporting a diverse and profitable independent small boat fleet, which is, and always has been, key to healthy local fishing communities and a healthy ocean and healthy fish stocks, and that said, I realize every time I hear the voices representing this in tele conferences, and at council meetings, they speak not for the industry as a whole, but as self interested entities, looking out for themselves.
This also makes me rethink why I would, or even should support opening closed area’s, arguing with enviros about it, and as much as I hate to say it, consider lobbying against the openings. Why would anyone support the haves even further?
I hope others involved in this decision making process of voting consider the ramifications if this goes forward as Schemed. I know Big Carlos of the South, and little Carlos of the North, Little Maggie in the Middle, and the Pewbots have it all figured out.
I am disappointed, but not surprised that the supporting infrastructure that makes it all possible would so callously be excluded in the plan. Plan. I keep calling it a plan. and told that they could just consider the fact that they really aren’t part of the industry.
Yes, $20 million could be used more efficiently than just pissing it away on a buyout that will benefit a few.
My vote is NO.
Brief explanation:
The people really affected by the disaster consist of:
the individual single boat owner that can not operate his vessel profitably with his low PSC.
the crews; the working fisherman, you know? their paychecks have been slashed by 2/3 to pay for leased quota.
The way you talk of “the commercial fishing businesses” “affected by the disaster” and “that have been impacted by the groundfish disaster” and of “the future viability of the commercial groundfish fishery” shows that you are referring to the multiple permit owners, some not even ever fishermen; allocating public monies to such businesses and to a permit buyback does not ” mitigate the economic injury incurred” by the people affected by the disaster (please see above).
Particularly inequitable is the shameless attribution of $11 million to “qualified permit/vessel owners” and $2 million to “crew members who served on qualifying vessels during the qualifying period”. That’s a 15% – 85% split. Is the NSC board not aware that for the last several decades the predominant dragger lay in New England has varied between Crew 60% to 50% – Boat 40% to 50%?
Suggestions? Buy out the multi permit holders; leave it to the maggots: the individual boots on deck fishermen and single boat owners.
Sincerely.
Armando Estudante
F/V Endurance
Amen Brother,Amen! As soon as I saw CCCFA’s name attached to this plan I knew it was another scam. I will be voting NO.In 2010 alone the CCCFA generated 2million$ just in leasing revenues,and that’s not to mention the 900,000lbs of GOM cod and haddock they stole from the historical GOM fishermen.While they were fattening their coffers, many honest hard working fishing families were steaming towards the abyss.Fuck this plan and fuck catch shares.
Fuck the NSC & Associates! Just vote NO
That’s right BH Hostile, Doggy Style, pure and simply the Fisheries is being SODOMIZED by “The Lords of Hypocrites. Let’s face it the Green-Ops is funded by the Wealthy that are making their Money, Polluting, and causing Health Issues in other Countries. This Outsourcing has weakened the Economy throughout the Nation. Not to mention “The Obama Ocean Policy” has stolen our Common Property the Seas and Freshwater inland. Our most important Resource “WATER” is at stake. Down with this Executive Order, it was one Man’s decision.
Thank you Dick Grachek We vote NO. I have read the Spending Plan proposed by the four groups and I am enraged. These groups are the same people who have placed the Northeast fishery in peril with their ‘Catch Share’ system, an enterprise that has literally forced thousands of fishermen to tied up their boats because of the ridiculous allocation of fish shares, removing many many fishing businesses (as would seem their purpose), controlling fish allocations by buying up permits and making fishermen pay for their fish before they catch it. The catch share system was doomed to fail and in its wake would take down any number of small boat fishing businesses.
AND NOW those same people want to control how the monies are used, giving themselves 2/3 or $20 mil. to off-set their costs to develop ideas of how they think the fishery should look in the future. They want to use the years 2010 -2012 as a time frame. These are the same years that the Catch Share Program slashed the throats of all Northeast fishermen by not allowing anyone to fish. So if you use this criteria only the top players will receive any of the money. The Disaster Relief is for fishermen, not administrators of programs designed to broker fish and put fishermen out of work. Furthermore where would fishermen be without shoreside help, infrastructure, truckers, in this proposal they are not even given a second thought. How can our government give the money to those who created this mess in the first place. I would like to see the MA DMF and the NMFS work together to distribute the funds, not four sector managers. It is easy to count the permit holders, Both state and federal fishermen should be taken into account. Use a ten year period of time. One permit = one share of the disaster pie. We need to help rebuild our fishery, invest in our fishermen and their businesses. Help with grants, fuel assistance, and loans. These four sectors do not speak for me or any of the small boat owners that I know, we do not need their time-lines, their plans for implementation, their design for distributing disaster funds, or their ideas of what my future as a fisherman should look like. Please write to your representatives, both federal and state. Give the fishery back to the fishermen.
If you still think that maybe their plans would work – I urge you to read my book, ‘Nautical Twilight’ the Story of a Cape Cod Fishing Family, by me, J. J. Dutra. It mirrors the thousands of commercial fishermen who have been harmed by the catch share system. It is only 195 pages but will open your eyes to the fishery over the past 30 years. We are the proud owners of the 85 year old dragger, F/V Richard & Arnold and do not plan to buy fish from sector managers before we catch them or stand begging for financial assistance from the men who would make us sharecroppers.
The fleet boats that carry combination scallop/groundfish permits should be EXCLUDED from any Federal Fishery Disaster money, but the crewmen that are forced to fish groundfish in order to go scalloping should absolutely be entitled to funding. Take care of the crew.
From: brian loftes (email submitted)
To: “[email protected] ”
CC:
Dear Jackie two weeks ago we had to get a rush vote on what we wanted to do with the relief money now we have to do this all over again. Jackie it appears that NESC didn’t like the the way the vote came out and now NESC and CCHA are teamed up to change the out come to fit your needs. I for one don’t trust NESC or CCHA you are the very people that welcomed this devastating plan which has destroyed so many fishermen up and down the coast you own this.
So Jackie I vote NO and I want a list of all the votes that are taken, and what happened to the first plan I wouldn’t tell your fishermen what’s best for them why are you trying to tell us what’s best for us are you trying to save us from our self’s again. Jackie the long history of abuse for NMFS and the sham of we will be rewarded when things get better is bull so no way in hell I vote for anything other then show me the money you people have caused enough harm already!
Catch shares. The savior of the American commercial fisherman. What a mess. Together we could have stood as one. Divided we crash and burn. So sad.
“Both state and federal fishermen should be taken into account. Use a ten year period of time. One permit = one share of the disaster pie. ”
Cheers.
I’ll never see a penny….Personally, I don’t care, but what I do want is to be able to actually go catch cod again.
Two attempts on Subject. Let’s try this is it true Mr. Snowden that Dale Jones wears woman’s Panties and Janie goes Commando?
Any news? If it’s nothing but crickets then maybe it’s indication they got more No votes then Yes?