Friends-
Even if you don’t fish, you probably know someone who does. Please read this and forward this to your mailing list. We need your signature and we want this request to go viral on the internet. If you have a web page or Face Book page or some other form of social media, please post this.
As some of you know I have been working with the Central Florida Offshore Anglers and several other clubs and organization for some time to fight fisheries closures by the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (NOAA) that we feel have been based on inadequate data. The SAFMC has now on the East coast from the Carolinas to Key West) closed Vermillion Snapper from December-March, Grouper from January to April, has an interim 180 day closure on Red Snapper that began January 4 with a option to extend for another 180 days and has a proposal for a total closure of snapper for an undetermined amount of time which some say may be 20 years or more. In addition to this there is a proposal to stop all bottom fishing because of the potential that a snapper may be killed as by catch and they are looking at closing other fisheries from mahi-mahi to amberjack to seabass and more.
I have fished on the Florida East coast areas since 1995, off Daytona, Port Canaveral and Sebastian Inlets. I maintain a first hand knowledge of the health of the fishery and fully supported the restrictions for minimum size and catch. These past measures have worked to the point we are now almost overrun with Red Snapper off our coast.
I contest the data being presented that shows the fishery to be in decline as being significantly flawed. If I felt that the fishery was in trouble as we did many years ago, I would advocate the current new restrictions, but they are not needed. These closures are having a catastrophic economical snowball effect in the State of Florida, from tourism dollars, to tackle and bait shops to charter Captains. The biggest impact will be to our way of life as citizens of this country. I support is our right to be able to go out and fish, have a good time and eat what we catch in a reasonable recreational component.
WHAT can you do to help:
Go to this website- read the information and sign the electronic petition. We are asking them to rescind the current closures and fix the science that is used to make these decisions.
http://petition.deep-blue-sea.org
FORWARD this mail to everyone that you know and ask them to do the same. Open the attachment- print it and share with others.
I appreciate your taking the time to read this, making an informed decision to sign the petition and passing it along to others that feel the same way.
Patrick Magrady, Treasurer
Central Florida Offshore Anglers
