Bill Bird, a long-time volunteer leader in the Coastal Conservation Asso- ciation (CCA), was invited to testify on how MSAimplementation is impacting recreational fisheries. “Bill has been fishing Florida for decades and is well-versed in the diffi- culties of federal fisheries manage- ment, and he informed the Sub- committee about all of the things recre- ational anglers have been talking about and struggling with for the past four years,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of CCA’s National Government Rela- tions Committee. “Simply put, there is a management crisis facing many recre- ational fisheries with the implementa- tion of the 2006 reauthorization of MSA.” Among other issues, the 2006 amendments to MSA included a provi- sion requiring “annual catch limits” or ACLs that must not be exceeded for every federally managed fishery. How- ever, accurate data is clearly a prerequi- site for establishing an ACL and that accurate data has been sorely lacking for the recreational sector. “Recreational fisheries that have suf-
fered for years from a complete lack of federal management cannot now be expected to implement arguably the most aggressive legal fishery manage- ment requirement ever established,” said Bird. “Without a recent, accurate stock assessment and good catch data, there is no way to meet the legal requirements of the 2006 Reauthorization of MSA. It is the legal equivalent of requiring dri- vers to not exceed the speed limit while driving cars without speedometers.” Bird’s testimony also emphasized the importance of allocation; high- lighted the federal government’s fail- ure to implement the national recre- ational registry program by 2009, and reviewed well-known current and pending fisheries debacles including South Atlantic red snapper, black sea bass, dolphin, wahoo and cobia. “These problems are creating a dam- aging rift between conservation-mind- ed anglers and the federal agencies charged with managing our fisheries. It is critical that before annual catch limits are imposed on data-poor fisheries and fisheries that have had no assessments, the Congress must require the stocks actually be assessed,” Bird said.
ALABAMA Spring events
CCAAlabama is looking forward to a variety of spring events ranging from
TIDE
Eastern Shore’s “Bugs-n-Suds” to Birmingham’s annual “Crawfest” on May 12. Eastern Shore, Mobile and Lower Alabama are also planning fundraising and membership events. In addition, efforts are underway to
revitalize the Tuscaloosa and Mont- gomery Chapters. Over the coming months, we not only look forward to the resumption of great fishing in the Gulf, but to building our ranks and being involved in a variety of projects designed to improve and enhance the resource.
Look for exciting things to come in
reef creation and marsh restoration as CCAAlabama moves into a new era of conservation.
FLORIDA Inter-Chapter Challenge on tap
from Destin. So come on out and be part of a great event. For more informa- tion, visit
ccaflorida.org or email Brian Gorski at
bgorski@ccaflorida.org.
Habitat restoration project selected by Field & Stream magazine
The CCA Florida Orlando Chapter
assisted Dr. Linda Walters from the University of Central Florida with a massive project to protect archeologi- cally significant Turtle Mound in New Smyrna from erosion by utilizing nat- ural habitat restoration techniques UCF and CCA began by building a path out of crushed oyster shells so fishermen can fish from the bank with- out damaging important vegetation. In April, volunteers constructed and placed oyster mats in the water to re- establish depleted and destroyed oys- ter reefs. Finally, in May, as part of Toyota's “Hero for a Day Program,” Field & Stream magazine sent a team to document volunteers re-establishing mangroves on the shoreline. “This was an exciting event and we
CCA Florida’s Eighth Annual Inter-
chapter Challenge (ICC) will be hosted by Rufus and Melinda Wakeman and River Palm Cottages & Fish Camp this year on June 24-25. The ICC was started in 2004 to bring members together from all over the state to share ideas, talk about their individual chapters and have a great day on the water. “Our chapter’s team had a wonder- ful time at River Palm Cottages, as sev- eral of us brought our wives, kids, and pets and made a weekend out of the event,” said Bill Camp of Palm Beach County about
last year’s ICC. “We
enjoyed meeting so many other CCA members from around the state and look forward to next year all the more. Without hesitation, I encourage all other chapters in Florida to make it a point to participate in the ICC.” Already this year we have teams
registered from chapters that have never been represented before, like the Gainesville, Broward and Dade County chapters. Back-to-back champ Orlando has already booked several groups along with the never-say-die-group from Naples. There has even been a rumor of a team coming all the way
www.joincca.org
CCA Florida is proud to announce that Hell’s Bay Boatworks for the third year in a row will continue its Official Shallow Water Skiff sponsorship with CCA Florida. For the past two years, Hell’s Bay has donated a skiff to be raf- fled off during the year. Last year, along with the donation, Hells Bay also donated a graphic wrapped box truck that not only carries supplies, but also acts as a mobile billboard as we travel to events from Pensacola to Key West. As we begin another great year with Hell’s Bay, we are proud to announce the donation of an 18-foot Glades Skiff,
51
are honored to have been recognized by Field & Stream magazine,” said Greg Harrison, volunteer coordinator for the Orlando Chapter. “Not only are we establishing outstanding fishing and wildlife habitat, but we are helping to protect an incredible part of history from erosion. We have a great group of volunteers and in addition to really making a difference, working with Dr. Walters is a lot of fun.”
Hell’s Bay — official skiff
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64