NOAA's "Amendment 40" is Really "Privatization 70"
There's a lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans that every recreational angler ought to be following like a hawk.
The case will decide whether public wildlife resources that rightly belong to all of us will instead be funneled into fewer and fewer hands -- and whether federal waters can be effectively walled off to private recreational anglers for the advantage of a tiny group of politically influential special interests.
NOAA Fisheries calls it "Amendment 40," but it ought to be known as "Privatization 70," because that's what it does: if this scheme is allowed to stand, commercial fishing and charter boats will be handed a monopoly over more than 70 percent of the Gulf red snapper fishery, while recreational anglers are forced to watch from the docks.
Dysfunctional federal management has already resulted in a 10-day red snapper season these last two summers, down from 44 days the year before.
But it's not just recreational anglers who are being short-changed. More than 16,000 Americans owe their jobs to bait and tackle shops alone -- and that's not even counting the big-box stores and chain retailers. Altogether, the independent bait shops alone generate more than $796 million annually in payroll.
A red snapper season of just one weekend a year wreaks havoc on the Gulf economy, as everything from gas stations and motels to restaurants and tackle shops feels the impact. Unfortunately, nobody from NOAA took the time to evaluate the economic aftershocks.
What's behind Amendment 40? A lot of clever lawyering by the Environmental Defense Fund and their shill operations in the Gulf. The unholy alliance: 387 commercial fishing operators; a handful of charter/for-hire operators, and a bunch of professional environmental lobbyists in Washington, D.C. Coastal Conservation Association highlights the united front standing against us.
The white hats are fighting Amendment 40 in the U.S. District Court, and the State of Louisiana has recently weighed in with its support, filing an amicus brief in support of our position.
A lot is at stake. Stay tuned.
There's a lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans that every recreational angler ought to be following like a hawk.
The case will decide whether public wildlife resources that rightly belong to all of us will instead be funneled into fewer and fewer hands -- and whether federal waters can be effectively walled off to private recreational anglers for the advantage of a tiny group of politically influential special interests.
NOAA Fisheries calls it "Amendment 40," but it ought to be known as "Privatization 70," because that's what it does: if this scheme is allowed to stand, commercial fishing and charter boats will be handed a monopoly over more than 70 percent of the Gulf red snapper fishery, while recreational anglers are forced to watch from the docks.
Dysfunctional federal management has already resulted in a 10-day red snapper season these last two summers, down from 44 days the year before.
But it's not just recreational anglers who are being short-changed. More than 16,000 Americans owe their jobs to bait and tackle shops alone -- and that's not even counting the big-box stores and chain retailers. Altogether, the independent bait shops alone generate more than $796 million annually in payroll.
A red snapper season of just one weekend a year wreaks havoc on the Gulf economy, as everything from gas stations and motels to restaurants and tackle shops feels the impact. Unfortunately, nobody from NOAA took the time to evaluate the economic aftershocks.
What's behind Amendment 40? A lot of clever lawyering by the Environmental Defense Fund and their shill operations in the Gulf. The unholy alliance: 387 commercial fishing operators; a handful of charter/for-hire operators, and a bunch of professional environmental lobbyists in Washington, D.C. Coastal Conservation Association highlights the united front standing against us.
The white hats are fighting Amendment 40 in the U.S. District Court, and the State of Louisiana has recently weighed in with its support, filing an amicus brief in support of our position.
A lot is at stake. Stay tuned.
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