http://www.joincca.org/media%20room/Federal%20Fishery%20Issues/MSPComments.pdf

Coastal Conservation Association

6919 Portwest, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77024
Email: twvenker@joincca.org Website: www.joincca.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 24, 2010 CONTACT: Ted Venker, 1-800-201-FISH

Coalition seeks to avoid fisheries management “train wreck”

Overwhelmed agency incapable of properly implementing law

Passage of the 2006 Magnuson-Stevens Act, the overarching law that manages America’s marine fisheries, revealed crippling deficiencies within the agency charged with implementing the law. Recently, a coalition of marine angling and industry groups launched an effort to improve the National Marine Fisheries Service’s efforts to manage the nation’s marine resources and the 13 million saltwater anglers who depend on healthy fisheries.

“We have the most conservation-oriented law we have ever had governing our marine resources, and the agency does not have the data, assessments, science or, frankly, the attitude, to adequately implement it,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of CCA’s National Government Relations Committee. “The result is that the agency has been reduced to managing fisheries by closure which was not the intent of the law when it was passed by Congress.”

In addition to requiring an end to all overfishing by 2011, the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have a determination on the overfished status of every species under management, and have annual catch limits and accountability measures in place for them by a time certain as well.

“For far too many species, there is not any science at all to do that and to develop it will take one to three years for every single species,” said Brewer. “With its startling lack of data, there is no way NMFS can catch up on decades of work and the agency will be crushed by its lack of science. The entire federal management system will be forced to ignore real conservation and management issues, and simply manage by closure. The coalition is seeking a way to fulfill the conservation tenets of the law without driving the entire process into a train wreck.”

Current efforts to revise the Magnuson-Stevens Act, including the so-called “flexibility” legislation (H.R.1584 and S.1171) do not address the shortcomings of NMFS that are negatively impacting anglers and, in fact, jeopardize a number of the true conservation gains in the Act.

“H.R.1584 and S.1171 do not provide for better data-gathering or prevent the imposition of in-season closures when NMFS believes there is a danger of overfishing, nor do they improve recreational data and the way it is used. It just delays rebuilding,” said Brewer. “That is not where the problem lies.”

Among other administrative and appropriations requests, the coalition is urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to convene a blue ribbon panel to identify the long-term data, statistical, research and funding needs of the regional fishery science centers. The outcomes of this panel will help to inform the appropriation needs related to recreational fishing data and statistics for NMFS and coastal state fishery agencies.

“There is a great deal of frustration among recreational anglers, much of it attributable to an agency that doesn’t have the ability to properly manage us,” said Pat Murray, president of CCA. “The shortcomings of NMFS have to be fixed, either administratively or by Congress. Recreational anglers deserve both a meaningful law, and an agency capably of implementing it.”

Coastal Conservation Association

6919 Portwest, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77024
Email: twvenker@joincca.org          Website: www.joincca.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FEBRUARY 10, 2010          CONTACT: Ted Venker, 1-800-201-FISH

Council action on Gulf red snapper signals need for reallocation

Shortened recreational season brings allocation issue to the forefront

Recreational anglers were cheered earlier this year by news that after decades of federal management, culminating with a two-fish bag limit and a 74-day season in 2009, scientists suddenly announced that the Gulf red snapper stock is no longer undergoing overfishing, which is a significant step on the road to recovery.

However, the reward for decades of sacrifice announced at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting this week is a good news/bad news scenario for recreational anglers who will see their quota increase to about 3.4 million pounds in 2010, from 2.5 million pounds in 2009, but will also see their season shrink by at least two weeks.

“Thanks to a combination of factors, including significant bycatch reduction measures for the shrimp fleet, the stock is improving,” said Dr. Russell Nelson, CCA Gulf Fisheries consultant. “But clearly the Council now needs to take into account the problems caused by the increasing average size of the fish being caught and take a long overdue look at reallocation.”

Even with a recovering stock, the hundreds of thousands of anglers pursuing red snapper in the Gulf are still left with just 49 percent of the total allowable catch, while about 400 commercial fishermen are currently entitled to 51 percent of the harvest through a catch share system. A rebounding stock means recreational anglers are finding it easier to catch red snapper, and the fish they catch are bigger. With a quota set in total pounds, the only way the government is capable of controlling recreational harvest is to shorten the season.

“Based on current data and from reports by recreational fisherman themselves, it appears that we have a strongly recovering red snapper fishery with larger fish being taken by recreational anglers which tend to skew the data on the pounds of fish being caught by recreational fisherman,” said Tim Strickland, chairman of CCA’s Gulf Fisheries Committee. “The inequitable result being proposed is the shortest season ever for recreational fisherman in 2010.”

CCA has long called for reallocation of fisheries where appropriate based on an economic analysis to provide the greatest economic benefit to the country.

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CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. For more information visit the CCA Newsroom at www.JoinCCA.org.

An amazing and gifted athlete, Walter graduated in 1954 from Lamar High School, where he received the Texas Sportswriter’s “Outstanding High School Football Player of the Year” Award, after leading Lamar to the 1953 High School State Championship. He would later be elected to the Texas High School Hall of Fame. Walter went on to play football for The University of Texas Longhorns, where he was selected “First Team All Southwest Conference” and “All Southwest Conference Halfback” in 1955. Remarkably, Walter played both offense and defense, still holding the record for most minutes played in a season. He received the “George `Hook’ McCullough Football Outstanding Player” Award in 1956 and would later be inducted into The University of Texas Hall of Honor. He graduated from The University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Geology. He was drafted by the NFL Los Angeles Rams. However, by the time he graduated in 1958, he had married the love of his life, Frances Leland Fondren, and they had decided to move back to Houston to begin their family.

Walter spent time with his growing family, developed his career investing in businesses, served on the board of the Fondren Foundation, which was started by his grandparents, and made perhaps his greatest civic contribution by his tireless leadership of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA). His competitive spirit led him from the football field to the golf course. As a scratch golfer, he qualified and played in the British Amateur Golf Tournament in 1971; he served as director of the Trans Pacific Golf Association; and successfully competed in the Golf Crest Four Ball Championship, winning five consecutive championships, a record that still stands. Walter was an avid outdoorsman and most enjoyed being in the field, whether he was hunting, fishing, or shooting photographs. He loved Texas, family, his many great friends, and his beloved Texas Longhorns.

As a trustee and past chairman of the Fondren Foundation, Walter was instrumental in contributing to countless charitable organizations throughout Houston, the state of Texas, and the U.S. He was particularly instrumental in the development and growth of several nonprofit institutions that today are leaders in their fields. He was an avid supporter of the Coastal Conservation Association, The Methodist Hospital, The Brookwood Community, The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston, and the Center for Recovering Families.

Walter’s passion for the outdoors and conservation gave him the opportunity to work closely with many people from presidents to the countless volunteers who worked tirelessly at his side. He always reminded anyone who would listen that the backbone of any non-profit organization was the strength of its volunteer membership. Concerned by the noticeable decline of the inshore fisheries caused by commercial over-fishing in Texas, in 1977 Walter became the founding chairman of the Gulf Coast Conservation Association (GCCA), now the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), a nationally recognized organization with chapters in 17 coastal states and dedicated to using the best available science to restore and conserve the marine environment. He served on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council as a member from 1982 through 1992; was Council Chairman from 1989 to 1990; and also served on the Billfish Advisory Committee since 1994. He received the Harvey Weil Sportsman/Conservationist Award in 2000 and the prestigious Charles H. Lyles Award in 2001 from the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission in recognition of a lifetime of exceptional contributions on behalf of marine resources. He was inducted into the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame in 2004 and served as an IGFA trustee for many years. He served as chairman of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and was past chairman of the Gulf Coast Council’s Billfish Advisory Council. In 2005, he was named one of the 50 legends of fishing by Field & Stream magazine. He was the first recipient of the CCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He has left an unprecedented legacy to the saltwater fisherman.

To those who love to fish and have a great time on the water, he will be remembered for gathering a group of fellow fishermen in 1969 and forming the Poco Bueno Invitational Fishing Tournament in Port O’Connor, Texas. Forty years later, Poco Bueno hosts over 170 boats and is one of the largest and most successful inshore and offshore fishing tournaments on the Gulf Coast and in the United States. Walter made many friends in Port O’Connor and co-founded the Alligator Head Club, where he, his family, and friends spent many a day on the water fishing.

Walter was a member of River Oaks Country Club, The University of Texas “T Association” and St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. Known as Bubby to his three sisters, and later to his 18 grandchildren and close friends, he was never happier than when spending time in the great outdoors hunting in South Texas, being on the water in Port O’Connor, or at Brushy Creek Ranch, which he and Fran spent years building for the family. Whether watching UT football, riding around on the tractor or spotting deer, he will be most remembered by those who loved him for his unconditional support, his keen knowledge of nature and wildlife, and his pure enjoyment and love of family. Walter found joy in sharing his wealth of knowledge with others, especially his children and grandchildren. It was more important to see others succeed than to actually “do it himself.” As one grandchild said, “He loved to give advice to his grandchildren and loved it when his grandchildren asked for advice.”

Walter is preceded in death by his parents, the late Walter William Fondren and Mary Doris Fondren, and sister, the late Eleanor Ann Fondren. Walter is survived by his wife, Frances Leland Fondren, and their six children: Mary Frances Fondren, Walter William Fondren IV, Leland Thomas Fondren and wife Laurie, Robert Emmett Fondren and wife Carol, Marie Fondren Hall and husband Gray, and Bentley Burke Fondren; grandchildren: Michael Hanson and wife Jennifer, Burton Hanson, Anah Marie Hanson, Lindsey Fondren, Chase Fondren, Ryan Fondren, Lauren Fondren, Brittany Fondren, Catherine Fondren, Ashley Fondren, Robert Fondren, Mary Catherine Fondren, Berkeley Fondren, Reagan Hall, Erin Hall, Cara Hall, Christina Fondren, and Chloe Fondren; great grandson, Connor Hanson; his sisters: Doris Fondren Lummis and Camille Fondren Habermacher; and cousins: David Milton Underwood, Sue Trammell Whitfield, and Russell Bonner Bentley.

The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to his many friends, co-workers, and volunteers at the CCA, and the many nurses, doctors and staff at The Methodist Hospital.Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share remembrances from five o’clock in the afternoon until eight o’clock in the evening on Tuesday, the 2nd of February, at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

The memorial service is to be conducted at two o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 3rd of February, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., Rector, and the Rev. Martin J. Bastian are to officiate.  Immediately following the service, the family will greet friends in the adjacent Bagby Parish Hall.

Serving as honorary pallbearers are Haynes Hart, Tom Burke, Russell Bentley, Bill Kinney, David Cummins, Stewart Campbell, Don Perkins, Buddy Stavinoha, Hans Wagner, Bob Hayes, Bill Brock, Harry Terry, David Underwood Jr., Bobby Easton, John Paul Cain, Mike Wells, Michael Hanson, Burton Hanson, Chase Fondren, Ryan Fondren, Robert Fondren, and Berkeley Fondren. Prior to Wednesday afternoon’s service, the family will have gathered at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston for a private interment service. In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions in Walter’s memory may be directed to the Coastal Conservation Association Texas Fund, 6919 Portwest Dr., Suite 100, Houston, TX, 77024.

Media Contacts: Art Morris, 361-825-3356, art.morris@tpwd.state.tx.us; or
Tonya Wiley, 281-534-0131, tonya.wiley@tpwd.state.tx.us

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Hoping to add to the mountain of almost 26,000 derelict crab traps hauled from Texas bays since 2002, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials are gearing up for the 9th Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program, running this year from February 19-28, 2010.

During this 10-day period, all Texas bays will be closed to crabbing with crab traps, and any traps left in the bay will be presumed abandoned and considered litter under state law, allowing volunteers to legally remove any crab traps they find.  Before the 77th Legislature authorized the abandoned crab trap removal program, only the trap’s owner or a Texas game warden could legally remove a crab trap. State game wardens pick up more than 2,500 traps annually, yet there are many more still in the water to foul shrimpers’ nets, snag fishermen’s lines, ghost fish and create an unsightly view of Texas shores.

Volunteers are needed to assist in the coast-wide effort to remove the numerous wire mesh traps that have been lost or abandoned since last year’s cleanup.  To facilitate volunteer trap removal efforts this year, TPWD will provide trap drop-off sites at several locations along the coast Saturday, Feb. 20, from 8 a.m. to noon, weather permitting. Additionally, at most sites, dumpsters marked with banners will be available to receive traps for the duration of the closure. Site locations will be announced in February.

Volunteers can work at their own pace during the closure as time and weather permit, but traps cannot be removed prior to Feb. 19 or after Feb. 28. Last year, volunteers, with the aid of numerous sponsors, removed more than 1,900 traps.

“The success of this program is a reflection of the keen sense of stewardship anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts have for the marine resources of this great state. Volunteers are working themselves out of a job, as indicated by the waning number of traps removed each year, but that is a good thing,” said Art Morris, TPWD program coordinator.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program, Coastal Conservation Association Texas, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, and the Cecil M. Hopper Museum are providing significant support to the crab trap removal program. Additional help is coming from numerous organizations and companies who are volunteering their services.

To participate, volunteers can arrange to pickup free tarps, gloves, trap hooks and additional information at their local TPWD Coastal Fisheries Field Stations. TPWD requests volunteers record and submit information about the number of traps that they collect as well as any sightings of diamondback terrapins.

For more information about the Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program and how you can volunteer, please contact your local TPWD Coastal Fisheries Office or Art Morris at the Corpus Christi Field Station: (361) 825-3356, art.morris@tpwd.state.tx.us; or Tonya Wiley at the Dickinson Marine Lab: (281) 534-0131, tonya.wiley@tpwd.state.tx.us.

Coastal Conservation Association

6919 Portwest, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77024
Email: twvenker@joincca.org           Website: www.joincca.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 18, 2009           CONTACT: Ted Venker, 1-800-201-FISH

CCA Hails Breakthrough on Catch Share Management

“Congress directs fisheries managers to address impact to recreational angling

HOUSTON, TX –Coastal Conservation Association applauds the U.S. Congress for recognizing the need to address impacts to recreational angling as a result of the U.S. Catch Share Policy. Language inserted into the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill currently awaiting President Obama’s signature directs the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to provide a report within 90 days of the bill’s enactment on the effect of catch share program management to recreational fishing.

“It is reassuring to know that members of Congress understand the significance of recreational angling and are concerned about policies that may have a negative impact on it,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of CCA’s National Government Relations Committee. “NMFS is so mired in its commercial fishing past and present that it cannot seem to even consider a future with a robust recreational fishery. With the language in this bill, Congress instructs the agency to pay attention to what their policies are doing to recreational fishermen.”

The language that was included in the bill was supported by CCA, the American Sportfishing Association and the Center for Coastal Conservation and requires the agency to report “how data collection for recreational catches will improve in fisheries where the commercial sector receives catch shares; and how allocation conflicts between recreational and commercial sectors will be resolved.” The report is to be provided to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.

“Unresolved issues with catch share programs present serious challenges not just to recreational anglers, but also thousands of businesses, such as boat builders and tackle manufacturers, that depend on our access to healthy, sustainable marine resources,” said Jeff Angers, president of the Center. “By working together to present our concerns, these groups were able to work with our elected officials to protect recreational angling, and that is a huge step forward.”

“A commercial catch share system could have a devastating impact on recreational fishing if the system is enacted without the appropriate analysis,” said Patty Doerr, Ocean Resource Policy director for the American Sportfishing Association. “NMFS has the responsibility to ensure that all sectors are treated fairly when instituting such far-reaching management measures. Assuming NMFS takes this responsibility seriously, the Congressionally-mandated report is a good first step towards ensuring that anglers are not unnecessarily disadvantaged as the Obama administration advocates for the increased use of catch share systems.”

Visit the Catch Share section of the CCA Newsroom for background information on catch share programs at www.JoinCCA.org.

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CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. For more information on South Atlantic fishery issues visit the CCA Newsroom at www.JoinCCA.org.

Coastal Conservation Association

6919 Portwest, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77024
Email: twvenker@joincca.org           Website: www.joincca.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 10, 2009           CONTACT: Ted Venker, 1-800-201-FISH

CCA urges states to resist flawed federal policies in Gulf

“Anglers cite lack of faith in federal catch share management of red snapper, grouper

HOUSTON, TX – Faced with the unwelcome reality of having two popular recreational fisheries managed by a fundamentally flawed catch share system in the Gulf of Mexico, Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) has taken the rare step of not supporting Gulf state compliance with federal regulations for red snapper and grouper. The decision to support “non-concurrence” with federal regulations is a sign of growing dissatisfaction with federal management policies.

“We did not make this decision lightly, because concurrent regulations are clearly a positive for the proper conservation of most fisheries,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of CCA’s National Government Relations committee. “I cannot recall many times when we have supported non-concurrence, but this is a sign of how little faith anglers have today in the federal government’s management of these fisheries.”

Catch share systems bestow a percentage of a public fishery resource to a select group of commercial fishermen, based on their catch history, to harvest for their own personal gain. CCA has acknowledged that such programs can be effective in purely commercial fisheries, but present serious problems for recreational anglers when applied to fisheries that have both commercial and recreational participation.

“We have seen the problems in the Gulf red snapper fishery that have developed since catch shares were implemented in 2005, and the lack of any effort to fix those issues,” said Brewer. “How can we ask the states to comply with federal regulations that are the product of a dysfunctional management scheme? In fact, CCA has filed a lawsuit to prevent a similar program from being implemented for Gulf grouper. We feel that we have to draw the line somewhere until the government addresses the concerns of recreational anglers.”

In a recent joint letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, the governors of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama joined CCA in its concern over the catch shares concept. In a powerful statement of the states’ apprehension in following a flawed federal program, the governors letter states, “Recreational fishing is an important activity in all of our states, and one that we would like to see continue to grow as a healthy activity for the public. However, we are concerned that NOAA policies could frustrate our ability to do that.”

“We see a major train wreck coming in the Gulf, and not just in these two fisheries,” said Brewer. “We don’t think the states should jump on board.”

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CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. Visit www.JoinCCA.org for more information.

Coastal Conservation Association Texas

6919 Portwest, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77024
Email: webmaster@ccatexas.org Website: www.ccatexas.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2009 CONTACT: Luke Giles, 713-626-4222

Governor Perry Stands Up for Recreational Angling

“Texas Governor leads effort to protect citizen’s access to public resources

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Texas Governor Rick Perry joined with three other Gulf State Governors to outline their concerns over the potential negative impacts of catch share programs on their states’ economies, and how such programs could restrict citizens’ access to fisheries resources. In addition to Gov. Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley have all signed on to the effort coordinated by Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and the Center for Coastal Conservation (Center) to find a better system to balance the needs of the public.

“We have already seen the negative impacts of the Gulf red snapper catch share system and are concerned about potential negative impacts from the pending program for Gulf grouper,” the governors’ letter stated. “Creating an exclusive harvesting right for a small group of commercial fishermen inherently marginalizes other users who do not have the same access privileges. In purely commercial fisheries this effect can have both economic and management benefits. But when applied in mixed-use fisheries, recreational anglers are forced to focus their efforts in limited state waters or not participate in the fishery at all. Neither of these outcomes is desirable.”

“Recreational angling is an important part of Texas’ economy and culture,” Gov. Perry said.  “I appreciate CCA bringing this issue to my attention and look forward to continuing to work with the recreational angling community to find a solution to this issue.”

“Governor Perry and his fellow Governors in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have brought to light a number of the problems inherent to catch share programs in mixed-use fisheries,” said Robby Byers, CCA Texas executive director. “Governor Perry’s leadership on this issue is helping the voice of the recreational angler be heard.”

CCA recently filed a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the adoption and implementation of Amendment 29 to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan that gives away a majority share of Gulf grouper to the commercial fishing industry through a catch share program. The Obama Administration has made the implementation of catch share programs in federal fisheries a priority, and both CCA and the Center have been working at the state and federal level to oppose their use in fisheries that have a large and growing recreational component.

“Catch shares are a huge concern for recreational anglers, and Governor Perry and his fellow Gulf State governors obviously share those concerns,” said Patrick Murray, CCA president. “We are extremely grateful to Governor Perry for taking the lead on this effort, and to governors Jindal, Barbour and Riley for taking such an extraordinary step to raise the visibility of this issue and protect their citizens’ access to public marine resources.”

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