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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Stephen Shechtel
March 2008
January 2008 |
resident's Message • Executive Director's Report
Taking the heat “Mr. Shechtel, Mr. Novotny is holding for you.” Executive Director Rich Novotny, Assistant Director David Smith, and Legislative Chair Henry Koellein had just returned from Annapolis. They were there to testify on behalf of MSSA’s opposition to SB673. Rich was noticeably disturbed. He informed me that the trio had endured five hours of committee hearings, and following their testimony, proponents of SB673 (commercial watermen all) took their arguments personal. “Steve, it was not pretty” (SB673 was defeated). Richard, David and Henry were on the front lines in Annapolis for MSSA. They took the heat on behalf of you, me, the oysters, and the environment. Unless you have been in a coma, it is no secret that commercial fishing interests have either over-fished, over-harvested, or systematically strip mined Maryland’s precious aquatic natural resources for . . . well, forever. Menhaden stocks are at an all time low (don’t even get me started on menhaden). Clammers no longer dredge for clams. Not because of regulations, but because there are not enough clams remaining in the Bay to make it profitable for them to dredge. The Chesapeake Bay native oyster is almost extinct. Forget that for every year since 1970 the Bay oyster harvest has hit record low after record low. In 2005, the harvest was 25,000 bushels. In 2002-2006 Maryland’s reported oyster harvest averaged 104,000 bushels. This was a significant decrease from the reported average harvest of 2.5 million and 1.3 million bushels reported during the 1920-69 and 1970-2002 periods, respectively. According to the Maryland Oyster Advisory Commission’s 2007 Interim Report, the abundance of Chesapeake oysters remains at approximately 1% of historic levels (yes, only 1%). The commercial watermen are not interested in preserving the Bay. They are not interested in your rights to fish. They couldn’t care less. Year after year, their argument has been loud and clear. It is the money. Their mantra is; if we cannot mine Maryland’s waters for profit, regardless of the environmental costs, then Marylanders should compensate us. To my knowledge, there has never been any discussion on how the watermen would repay Maryland’s taxpayers the $24.4 million already spent on in-the-water oyster recovery activities (exclusive of hatchery investments) since 1994. It is evident that unless Maryland and Virginia take immediate action soon, the Chesapeake Bay Crab fishery could collapse too. At the April 2008 Board of Directors meeting, MSSA passed a resolution supporting the establishment of blue crab harvest limits, including a restriction on harvesting females, sooks, and spawners. The Washington Post recently reported that DNR suggested barring watermen from catching female crabs during certain months and prohibiting recreational crabbers from catching females at all. Overall, DNR wants to reduce by 20 to 40 percent the harvest of females. The bay-wide population of blue crabs are estimated to be about one-third of what they were in 1993. Maryland’s 2007 crab harvest of about 21.8 million pounds was the second-lowest since 1945, and winter population surveys indicate this year’s harvest may not be much better. And what do the watermen have to say about this? Their position is that the problem is that poor water quality and habitat loss are to blame for low crab numbers, not over-harvesting. They admit that the crabs are going away, but its not their fault. Their position is that unless they are allowed to crab, they will lose money. Besides, next year it could always be better. No one, and I mean no one, but MSSA was in Annapolis to fight for recreational fishing. Surprised? I’m not, and neither should you. Last December Gary Caputi wrote about Fishing’s Looming Crisis. Caputi’s article was on the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act (MSA). Most of the MSA is recreational fisherman friendly. However, how the MSA defines “over-fishing” is a major problem. Basically, anything that affects the rebuilding of fish stocks or causes a temporary dip in stock sizes are deemed “over-fishing” even when it has nothing to do with fishing mortality whatsoever. Within the MSA, even if recreational anglers fish within targeted size or bag limits, the MSA will force severe penalties in the form of quota reductions or complete closures of the fishery. The problem is compounded under the MSA because “over-fishing” as defined, is occurring even though the recreational harvest is at its lowest level since the management plan was first instituted almost 20 years ago. There is evidence that the current biomass is the highest since stock assessments were started. However, the MSA does not allow for acting on such facts. The only consideration is that if targets are not achieved within the mandated time frame, we will not be allowed to fish. If you recall, the MSSA last year fought hard to stop the use of arbitrary quotas for rockfish. But flounder, grouper, black sea bas, cod, and other species are under consideration for a regulatory shut down under the MSA. It does not make sense. We could be barred from fishing to allow fish stocks to rebuild, despite no evidence that the biomass is in trouble. And yet at the same time, commercial interests would be allowed to continue fishing. All of the above are but a few reasons why your MSSA membership card remains the most important item in your tackle box. MSSA takes the heat for you. MSSA fights for your rights to fish. In conjunction with the RFA, we are the only voice you have from being regulated out of your right to fish. Say Welcome to David Smith David’s resume was the last one I received for Associate Executive Director. It had been emailed in after the interviewing committee had reviewed the candidates. Sherrie informed me that one of the “first finalists” had canceled. Making an executive decision, I asked Sherrie to put David into the open slot. We were 20 minutes into David’s first interview. I looked at David and said to him that he was not answering my questions. You should have seen his face. It was priceless. “Now answer my question, and tell this committee exactly what you did step by step.” And for the 20 minutes David was grilled in detail, step by step, on various aspects of his background. The committee voted to allow David to return for second interviews. He did not make the same mistake. Each candidate was provided with three detailed hypothetical problems. David arrived with seven (blue) booklets containing detailed solutions addressed to the committee. The rest is history. David Smith is the newest addition to MSSA. As Associate Executive Director, David will be involved in press releases, public relations, updating our web presence, acquisition of sponsors, and much more. If you get the opportunity, stop by or phone Dave to say hi. He’s a really great guy, and a valued addition to your MSSA. Spring Season As I write this column, I hope you are getting your boat ready for next weekend. It is hard to believe that opening day is a week away. I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait for that trophy fish to pull down a rod. MSSA’s Spring Tournament is less than a month away. If you have not done so already, register now. The 2008 Captain of the Year contests also starts anew. Good luck and tight lines to all.
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