Tag Archives: recreational and commercial fishermen

“Looking Back”: The Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally

Measured by any meaningful criteria the Keep Fishermen Fishing rally held on the steps of the Capitol on March 21 was a stunning success. It was attended by thousands of fishermen from as far away as Alaska, twenty one Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, and at least a half a dozen other VIPs made room in their busy schedules to come out and address the people who attended. From the most conservative of the conservatives to the most liberal of the liberals, these politically divergent speakers had one message; fix the Magnuson Act and bring back the balance between conservation and harvest. For the second time at the national level recreational and commercial fishermen – no matter what fisheries they participated in, no matter what their disagreements on allocation or lesser issues were, and no matter where they were from – were standing together and demanding a return to the original intent of the Magnuson Act;,,, >click to read< 08:09

Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) Opposed to 55-square-mile closure area of Stellwagen Bank

Could a closure of Stellwagen possibly lead to other state closures in the future, if the “showroom environmentalists,” as Donofrio calls them, get their foot in the door? Will Buzzards Bay be next? Or Vineyard Sound? Area anglers and businesses supported by recreational fishing are strongly urged to attend on the 16th and oppose the closure. Read the rest here 10:21

Saving Striped Bass (It sounds so dramatic!)

By June, the fish will be racing through these waters on the way to coastal New England as part of their northern migration, a biological spectacle akin to the movement of salmon on the West Coast. But with the striped bass population in decline, competition for the prized catch has intensified between recreational and commercial fishermen, setting up a showdown over a fishery that generates, according to one study, several billion dollars a year. Read more here