CCA of FLORIDA

Hi Everyone,

Steve Gibson and I have talked about having a fly fishing tournament for some time now. We recently worked out the details for the tournament. Applications will be available in early September and will be distributed throughout the area. If you can't find an application, please call and I'll see that you get one. Please pass this info along to all your fly fishing friends and encourage them to come and fish. Hope you'll join us for a fun day of fly fishing. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Capt. Rick Grassett

Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/CCA Inaugural "Fall Fly Fishing Challenge"

MCFF and the Sarasota Chapter of CCA-Florida will hold a fly fishing only tournament out of the Ken Thompson Park boat ramp on City Island on Saturday, October 29, 2005. The format will be a catch-photo-release tournament similar to the successful Sarasota CCA Photo All-Release Challenge held every year in April.

The tournament will benefit the MCFF Scholarship Fund and CCA. An entry fee of $50 per angler will include registration, film and a BBQ following the tournament when awards will be presented. Non-anglers may attend the awards BBQ for a fee of $10. Anglers will be provided the use of a Polaroid camera and measuring board. Prizes will be awarded for redfish, snook trout and an overall Grand Champion. The awards BBQ will also feature a raffle with even more chances to win.

Please register early, so that we can plan accordingly. Tournament applications will be available at local fly and fishing tackle shops and area fly fishing clubs. Don't miss out on the fishing, fun and prizes. Who will be the "Grand Champion" fly fisher in Sarasota? Steve Gibson (an honorary MCFF member) will co-chair the event with Capt. Rick Grassett. Contact Capt.Rick Grassett at (941) 923-7799 or snookfin@aol.com and Steve Gibson at (941) 315-0617.

CCA FLORIDA GRASSROOTS ALERT!

ANGLERS NEED TO ACT NOW TO PROTECT RECREATIONAL GROUPER FISHING IN THE GULF . OPPOSE FEDERAL PLAN FOR THE UNWARRANTED THREE MONTH RECREATIONAL CLOSURE ON ALL GULF GROUPER
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
VOICE YOUR CONCERNS AT PUBLIC HEARINGS ON JUNE 16, JUNE 28 AND JUNE 29.

CCA FLORIDA GRASSROOTS ALERT!

ANGLERS NEED TO ACT NOW TO PROTECT RECREATIONAL GROUPER FISHING IN THE GULF

OPPOSE FEDERAL PLAN FOR THE UNWARRANTED THREE MONTH RECREATIONAL CLOSURE ON ALL GULF GROUPER

VOICE YOUR CONCERNS AT PUBLIC HEARINGS ON JUNE 16, JUNE 28 AND JUNE 29.

SITUATION:

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has indicated that they will enact, by emergency action, major new restrictions on the recreational fishery for Gulf red and gag grouper. The action is caused by a bizarre and unprecedented increase in the “estimated” recreational catch of red grouper in 2004. The management measure being proposed is 1) lowering the recreational aggregate grouper bag limit to three fish and only one can be a red grouper, and 2) prohibiting all recreational take of red and gag grouper for three months. These draconian recreational measures are being proposed at the same time NMFS is allowing commercial longline boats to take red grouper with a 10,000 pound TRIP LIMIT!

CCA Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) urged the NMFS to conduct public hearings in Florida before taking action to enact any substantial new regulations on recreational take of red and gag grouper in federal waters off of Florida ’s Gulf coast.

CCA FLORIDA URGES ALL CCA CHAPTERS, FISHING CLUBS AND ANGLERS TO ORGANIZE, ATTEND THE HEARINGS AND OPPOSE THE UNWARRANTED AND UNNECESSARY CLOSING OF ALL RECREATIONAL GULF GROUPER FISHING FOR THREE MONTHS! THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS SUCH AS AN INCREASE IN MINIMUM SIZE WHICH CAN BE IMPLEMENTED TO SOLVE ANY PROBLEMS WHICH MAY EXIST.

The Gulf red and gag grouper fisheries exist almost exclusively off of the State of Florida . CCA Florida is urging the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to become actively involved in this issue to prevent the virtual elimination of the recreational grouper fisheries. The FWC will hold a hearing on this issue at their June 16 Commission meeting in Daytona and NMF officials will be there as well. Anglers should go to FWC hearing to oppose federal plan and urge Florida ’s Commission to support other viable alternatives.

June 16 – FWC Commission Meeting

Hilton Daytona Beach Ocean Front Resort

100 N. Atlantic Avenue

Daytona Beach , FL

386-254-8200

The federal (NMFS) hearings will be at the following locations and dates. All hearings will begin at 6:00 PM :

Thursday, June 16, 2005 Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Destin Community Center Hilton

101 Stahlman Avenue 5111 Tamiami Trail North

Destin , FL 32541 Naples , FL 34103

850-654-5184 239-430-4900

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

City of Madeira Beach

300 Municipal Drive

Medeira Beach , FL 33708

727-391-9951

IMPORTANT ISSUES AND FACTS

v The accuracy of estimated recreational landings is being questioned. NMFS claims that estimated recreational landings of Gulf red grouper increased from 1.536 million lbs. in 2003 to 3.530 million lbs. in 2004, a whopping 130 percent increase! Such an increase is completely unprecedented in the history of red grouper landings since regulations began 14 years ago. Nothing remotely close to such an increase has ever occurred. There have been dramatic reductions caused by new regulations but never such an increase. The estimates become even more suspect when you consider that Florida anglers and fishing activity was impacted by a record four major hurricanes in 2004.

v Past federal actions towards Gulf recreational fishermen in gag grouper management have been horribly inequitable. A CCA Florida analysis of Gulf grouper landings before and after federal regulations clearly indicated that the cumulative impact of 11 years of Gulf Council gag grouper regulations caused the annual recreational landings, after federal regulations, to be reduced by an average of 42 percent. Commercial landings were not reduced at all. In fact, after federal regulations were enacted, average annual commercial landings of gag grouper actually increased.

v Commercial longlines have been the longstanding and major problem in the red grouper fishery. Commercial fishers take more than 80% of the total red grouper take and longliners take 60-70% of the commercial take.

CCA Florida has a long history of proposing and supporting resource protection

regulations. However, there is nothing fair or equitable about this federal proposal.

IT IS UNBELIEVEABLE THAT THE FEDS WOULD FORCE RECREATIONAL ANGLERS TO A ONE FISH RED GROUPER LIMIT AND PROHIBIT RECREATIONAL FISHING FOR ALL GULF GROUPER FOR 3 MONTHS WHILE ALLOWING COMMERCIAL LONGLINE BOATS TO TAKE 10,000 POUNDS AT A TIME!

THERE ARE OTHER RESOURCE PROTECTION OPTIONS THAT DO NOT INFLICT MAJOR FINANCIAL DAMAGE ON THE RECREATIONAL FISHERY.

GO TO THE HEARING – LET THE FEDS HEAR FROM YOU!

This Alert Prepared by: Ted Forsgren

Executive Director

CCA Florida

(850) 224-3474

LEGISLATION TO PUT 500 SQ. FT. GILL NETS IN FLORIDA WATERS WILL BE HEARD IN SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

CCA MEMBERS, FISHING CLUBS AND OTHER CONSERVATION INTERESTS NEED TO CONTACT SENATORS TO OPPOSE SB 1178!

A. WHAT TO DO: All CCA Florida Chapters and other Grassroots Alert members should immediately contact their members and get them to call or e-mail the Senators listed and urge them to:

OPPOSE SB 1178 (by Senator Lawson) WHICH WOULD PUT 500 SQ. FT. GILL NETS IN ALL FLORIDA WATERS!

constitutional amendment limiting marine net fishing. The amendment includes both a prohibition on the use of gill and entangling nets in all state waters and a size limit on other nets. Although the restrictions have been in place for nearly ten years, there are still factions within the commercial industry who refuse to accept the legal reality that the constitutional prohibition on gill nets means no gill nets.

enforcement loopholes, and outright scams all designed to invalidate or circumvent provisions of the constitutional amendment. All have failed. The Florida Legislature, Florida Courts, and state agencies have upheld the clear intent of Florida voters.

One of the most common attempts to create loopholes for gill nets is to try to change laws to allow any mesh size in nets. When the ban on gill nets was implemented in 1995, fishermen started using nets with mesh sizes commonly used in gill nets prior to the amendment. They claimed the nets were seine nets, even though at the time of arrest, their nets were filled with gilled fish. To resolve enforcement and prosecution issues, a law was adopted to establish a distinction between legal seine nets and illegal gill nets. The law restricted seine nets to a mesh size no larger than two inches.

The regulation setting a maximum mesh size of two inches for seine nets was adopted to establish a “bright line” distinction between illegal gill nets and legal seines. Commercial interests have filed numerous lawsuits against the two inch law and all of the industry’s claims and lawsuits have been rejected by the Courts. One of the major legal findings by the Courts was that the two inch maximum mesh size for seine nets was “historically based, rational and practical.”

Just like previous attempts to create loopholes for gill nets, SB 1178 seeks to allow any mesh size in nets. The 500 square foot size limit repeats a restriction which is already in the Constitution. The proposed legislation is in direct conflict with the constitutional prohibition on gill nets and eight years of Court decisions defining gill nets and the gill net ban.

You can not pass a law saying that nets with mesh sizes that are used to gill fish are not gill nets. The constitutional prohibition on gill nets can not be changed by state legislation.

merged the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and the Marine Fisheries Commission into the constitutionally independent Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The exclusive authority to regulate hunting and fishing rests with the FWC. The Legislature cannot pass laws regulating deer or quail hunting, nor can they pass laws regulating commercial fishing or other saltwater fishing issues.

E. THE NETTING INDUSTRY IS CLAIMING CONCERN OVER KILLING “BABY FISH” WITH A SMALL MESH SIZE, BUT THAT IS JUST ANOTHER PLOY TO GET A LARGE MESH SIZE TO GILL ADULT FISH.

If the commercial netting industry was genuinely concerned about fishing gear that killed “baby fish” then they would address the massive waste and by-kill of juvenile “baby fish” by shrimp trawls. Just one shrimp trawl kills far more “baby fish” than all the 500 sq. ft. seines combined. Shrimp trawls are the most wasteful piece of fishing gear in the southeastern United States . In 2000, the amount of finfish and other marine life by-catch (caught, killed and discarded) by Florida ’s shrimping industry was estimated to be 68 to 72 million pounds per year – which was greater than the total landings of all of Florida ’s saltwater recreational fishermen. Furthermore, the specific issue of “baby fish” caught in smaller mesh sizes was directly addressed and rejected by the Courts in the lawsuits filed by commercial interests.

CONTACT THE SENATOR(S) WHICH ARE IN YOUR CHAPTER AREA – IF THERE ARE NONE SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED FOR YOUR AREA CONTACT THE CLOSEST AND/OR THE COMMITTEE CHAIR.

ACT NOW! PLEASE LET THESE SENATORS KNOW THAT YOU DO NOT WANT GILL NETS – OF ANY SIZE – BACK IN FLORIDA WATERS!