Once again, short-term economic interests trump conservation

What exactly are anglers marching for here?

ASMFC moves forward with addendum increasing commercial harvest,
while New York takes steps toward a directed trawl fishery.

CCA Mourns Passing of Walter Fondren
Visionary conservationist helped change the way marine resources are managed
HOUSTON, TX – The conservation community lost one of its true visionaries with the passing of Coastal Conservation Association founder Walter W. Fondren III last week in Houston. A passionate conservationist, avid hunter and skilled fisherman, Fondren was a driving force [...]

Is it a good thing for anglers?
Back in June the Obama Administration called together an “Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force” to  develop recommendations for a national ocean policy that ensures “the protection, maintenance, and restoration of the health of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources” and a framework for “coastal and marine spatial [...]

Reel-Time readers… I received the below response from a lifelong tuna fisherman. I thought it was particularly relevant to the CITES discussion taking place here and on other forums. The sender wishes to remain anonymous, but it’s certainly worth a read.
“The plain fact is that the population is not healthy.  A healthy population supports a [...]

It’s time for the US to have some balls and fully support a trade ban
Bluefin are screwed.  I hate to be blunt, but that’s the case with these fish, plain and simple.  The eastern stock has declined by almost 75% since the 60s, and the “western stock”, has plunged by 83%.  And it’s undoubtedly [...]

Sen. Foley (D-Brookhaven) has introduced S6250, a bill that would repeal NY’s new salt water fishing license and replace it with something that is disingenuously being called a “free” angler registration. (Here’s a link to the legislation if you’d like to take a look yourself: http://open.nysenate.gov/openleg/api/html/bill/S6250). Of course nothing in government is really free. If [...]

ASFMC Denies Increase in Commercial Striped Bass Harvest
Anglers rally to defeat proposal for commercial sector to kill more fish
Coastal Conservation Association commends the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) for denying a proposal to increase the commercial harvest of striped bass at its meeting this week in Newport, Rhode Island. The proposal would have allowed [...]

Addendum II will comprise yet another small but real drain on striped bass
Today is 10/8… It’s 5:00PM and I’m on a train home from the Striped Bass Advisory Panel (AP) meeting. I have to mention that I’ve been awake since 3:00AM and I’m running purely on caffeine at the moment so please excuse the likely [...]