At a meeting of the full board in June of 2013, Seafood Board chair John Folse (right) chats with Legislative Committee Chair Frank Randol . Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink.
by Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board’s Legislative Committee unanimously approved a resolution in support of Reef Fish Amendment #28 to be sent to the full board supporting keeping current Gulf Red Snapper quotas at current levels.
The legislative committee of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board implored members of the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council to consider those that do not have access to the Gulf of Mexico but wish to enjoy the Red Snapper natural resource. They requested the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council to retain the existing 51% commercial and 49% recreational quota system.
The contention surrounding the issue of red snapper quota lies with restaurants having a continuous supply of red snapper provided by commercial fishermen.
Board member Sara Voisin, who represents the oyster industry, recommended data monitoring be included the Seafood Board’s final resolution. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
The board, which operates under the authority of Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, heard testimony from Harlon Pearce, a Louisiana’s representative to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and a board member of the Gulf Seafood Institute.
In his testimony Pearce said, “ Louisiana is doing a good job of counting recreational fish, but other states do not.” He went on to explain, “current quota allotments give 51% of red snapper harvested to commercial fishermen, and 49% to recreational. The recreational sector, however, consistently exceeds its allotted quota.”
Louisiana lands more than 30% of the red snapper harvested in the Gulf.
David Maginnis, a seafood board member representing the state’s salt water fishermen and vice-president of Jensen Tuna in Houma, indicated that “the largest problem is recreational fishermen have no accountability, whereas the commercial fisherman must call three hours in advance to have an agent meet him a the dock to weigh in. Commercial and recreational fishermen must work together to protect the fisheries, which would mean dockside monitoring both fisheries and not just commercial.”
Chef John Folse, who chairs the Louisiana Seafood Board, asked, “Why there is rigorous monitoring with commercial fisheries, but no dockside monitoring with recreational fisheries?”
Chef Peter Sclafini, a board member representing the Louisiana Restaurant Assocaiton and owner of Baton Rouge’s Ruffino’s Restaurant, said, “the economic impact should be highlighted and the Board should have a unified voice for the industry. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
“Recreational fishermen are wide-open to catch as much as they like during the days set by the Gulf Council,” said Pearce. “It’s not their fault they are over-fishing the stock. An in-season quota monitoring system is necessary for recreational fishermen.”
Board member Sara Voisin, who represents the oyster industry, recommended data monitoring be included the Seafood Board’s final resolution.
Chef Peter Sclafini, a board member representing the Louisiana Restaurant Association and owner of Baton Rouge’s Ruffino’s Restaurant, said, “the economic impact should be highlighted and the Board should have a unified voice for the industry.
The final resolution passed by the committee authorized the Chairman to appoint a representative to attend all Gulf Council and National Marine Fisheries meetings.
During the one hour meeting held at the offices of the Lt. Governor, the committee also recommended the board approve sending one Legislative Committee member along with a staff member to Washington, D.C. for the 2014 Walk the Hill events.
The full board meets in Baton Rouge on Wednesday the December 11th to consider the recommendations of the Legislative Committee.
What a misleading article. Its is not only commercial bias, but more than simply deceptive. The ‘Facts’ the try to assert are only trumped by the overwhelming evidence they refuse to include. Seems they either ignore or are ignorant to several important facts, such as the NMFS’s gross overestimation of recreational participation and harvest by 350% to 400%, the value of recreational harvest to coastal communities by a 10 fold factor per pound of fish caught, and the tremendous cost to the US Taxpayer of the subsidized ‘For Profit’ (commercial) sector management of the IFQ, or privatized fishery. While this group is given a legal recognition, it seems little more than a Commercial Fishing Lobby group, akin to EDF’s funded associations.
Captain Henry:
Indeed you have made some interesting points. However the Red Snapper Fishery is still open to both recreational and commercial fishermen for the price of of license. Indeed NMFS’s harvest numbers for recreational participation may be flawed, but to date the recreational side has no program in place to accurately track the number of red snapper they are catching. Commercial fisherman not only have established a self-imposed tracking program that Monterey Bay Seafood Watch has herald as the one of the main reasons for removal of Gulf Red Snapper from their “red listing”, but in addition, in some states, must have state enforcement agents dockside when unloading.
As for subsidizing a “For Profit” commercial sector that provides fish to the 97% of Americans unable to afford your $775/day rate for a trip into the Gulf to harvest this iconic fish, it seems a small price to pay. You must remember that the coastal communities that receive the benefit of recreational fishermen, also depend on those same fisherman to eat at their restaurants – and they eat at restaurants every day they stay in the community whereas they might only be able to afford only a one day trip on your boat.
There has to be a way to equitably find solutions. I am sure you agree that your business depends on fishermen and families that come from around the country. To keep the interest in the great seafood the Gulf provides, you need to have it on the menu in cities across the U.S. to keep the fishermen and families interested in Gulf seafood the 364 days a year they are not fishing on your boat.
Gulf Seafood News Editor
Captain Henry does not pay NMFS 3 percent of his charter price he receives to help pay for his limited entry program he is fishing in. Nor is he paying the government anything for allowing him to make a profit from his limited entry program, while others are locked out of the charter for hire business. Also, when he gets ready to retire he can sell his limited entry license for well over $50,000 dollars. “I am just talking about the license he got for Free.” If you were in the charter for hire business when the management plan was developed then you got a license. They are not issuing any more licenses, so if you want to go into the charter for hire business . You have to find someone willing to sell their license to you. Now is Captain Henry paying 3 percent on what he charges his customers to NMFS to help monitor his special privilege license?the answer
Is “NO”!
Not only is the commercial business paying taxes on all of his business, paying license fees, etc., he is also paying 3 percent of his product value to NMFS. For allowing him to help feed the nation. Others are allowed to over harvest a resource with no penalty and now they are trying to take the consumers share away from them in amendment 28. They already take over a million pounds of red snapper product from the market place by overfishing this nations resource on a yearly basics. Amendment 28 is a
Management plan produced by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery management council. They make recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce on how to manage the Nations marine resource. CCA came before this group and asked them to take fish away from the commercial farmers of the sea and give them to the recreational fishermen as a way to address their
Over harvest of the red snapper resource. They have
Been taking fish away from the consumer market place for over 16 years now
And this is their solution to their problem.
Just take it away from the commercial fishermen’s share. Fish to the market place is not important. They can just eat foreign imports. Or they can go catch their own fish.
Now those that are members of Coastal Conservation Association may not realize there leaders are using their fees they pay to them ,to promote this solution ,as a way to manage this over harvest problem by their sector. But this is not management .
It is stealing the consumer share of the fish
From the market place as a way to address their unaccountability !
If you donate to this organization . I recommend that you stop giving them money to promote stealing from this nations marine resource and tell them you do not support taking domestic wild caught fish away from the menu or from the marketplace.Perhaps it is time to ask this management group to develop a fish tag plan so the recreational industry can have fish tags, to fish when they want to fish. They can also use this same fish tag to help NMFS count the harvest of fish caught by the recreational industry. The recreational sector needs leaders that will help address their issues instead of leaders that give them misinformation and keeps the pot stirred.