What’s wrong with the management?!! By Jerry Leeman
So, I’m using this piece of artwork, because I’m not driving 3 states away to pull up all my tracks. This is only a piece of artwork depicting a small percentage of the ground I’ve covered in the Gulf of Maine and George’s Bank.
We all talk about the best science, while the best science is done when you have the best observations. That is the whole basis of science is study thru observations.
How come a man like me who has over 14 years documented at sea in 21 years not have a voice in the management of our nation’s fishery? No one has ever asked me what I am seeing. They just hand me a piece of paper every time there’s a rule change. Then I figure out how I’m going to manage what little abundance they allot me.
The experience I have is in no book that exists anywhere in the world. It can’t be taught in any classroom. My classroom has been the sea it’s my home, it’s the lifeblood that feeds our nation. I believe it’s an honorable profession. Imagine men and women who get up every day under their own will and harvest the ocean from the sweat of their brows and the strength of their backs. We are stewards of the sea.
Now we have a management team at NOAA and NMFS that say there is overfishing, and the stocks are depleted.
Allow me to tell you firsthand that, this is false. Their assessments are being done with folks who have a good-looking college education and theoretical knowledge. But when it comes to the sea those books will do you no good. It takes years to be good at something and a lifetime to master. Even as experienced as I am, I’m still learning.
But the management team never ask what men and women with this experience, anything. We are being managed by theory and not facts. Fact is I’ve talked with a lot of fishermen here in New England the best of their expertise and for the first time in the history of fishing, groundfishermen and lobstermen agree.
NOAA wants an 80% reduction in Gulf of Maine Haddock next year. Their reasoning is the stock is low so for the good of green they want a reduction. Now I showed an article explaining what offshore wind farm power cables could destroy the juvenile stock of fish. These same fish they are telling me are hurting but still want to go thru with these offshore wind farms. It doesn’t make any sense at all.
The best way to explain this is, if two people with the same education were heart surgeons one who has performed 2,000 surgeries verses the young man who has a degree and theoretical knowledge. Who would you choose to base real knowledge and trust to cut your heart out? You don’t need a degree to answer that question.
So why doesn’t the management ask the real fishermen anything?! Because they control the narrative and manipulate the fleet for the profiteering of government and state financing which is keeping them in the job while pushing the Blue-Collar American fishermen right the Hell into the poor house for no damn good reason.
This money come from green energy-based companies. Pushing their agenda to win the uneducated along with their green wind farm agenda which I just explained is a real problem and, with bias amongst their own assessments. None of this is adding up for we the people. It’s more special Interest while damning the many. Yes you, the hard-working self-employed men and women are thrown right into poverty.
I wish for you to hear this message and build a call to arms over this. It’s happening my friends.
Many blessings to you all. FISH ON MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Jerry Leeman, Commercial Fisherman
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