March 26, 2008
CCA FLORIDA GRASSROOTS ALERT:

ONLY TEN DAYS LEFT TO SEND IN COMMENTS!

MOSQUITO LAGOON AND MERRITT ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PROPOSED FOR NASA COMMERCIAL LAUNCH SITES!

MAJOR ADVERSE IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES, HABITAT AND PUBLIC ANGLER ACCESS EXPECTED.

ACT NOW! SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO NASA AND OUR U.S. SENATORS!

1.  BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Mosquito Lagoon and Merritt Island area is one of the premier fishing destinations in Florida’s six billion dollar saltwater recreational fishery. Florida’s fishery is the largest in the U.S., and twice the value of the second largest state. It is one of the major economic engines driving Florida’s tourist economy.

NASA is proposing to develop a commercial space launch facility. NASA consultants have identified two 200 acre alternatives. One of the alternatives is right on the southwest shoreline of Mosquito Lagoon. Major objections to both areas were voiced by a large turn out of saltwater anglers, hikers, bird watchers and other conservationists at recent public hearings.

More detailed information on the proposed project and alternatives can be found on the NASA website at:

http://environmental.ksc.nasa.gov/projects/ksc-cvlc.htm

Both of the proposed areas have environmentally sensitive areas that serve as critical habitat for endangered and threatened species that will be negatively impacted if developed. In addition, there are substantial public access and angler access restriction problems in both areas. Our initial review indicates that it does not make any sense to use either of the two areas recommended by NASA consultants when nearby property owned by the U.S. Air Force already has unused launch sites. In fact, it appears that one of the private space companies is already planning to use one of the launch sites at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Comments should be sent to NASA opposing the two alternatives and urging them to work with the U.S. Air Force to utilize existing and unused launch sites for the proposed private, commercial spacecraft launch site.

            Send your comments and objections to:
            Mario Buscacca, Environmental Program Office
            Mail Code TA-C3
            Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

            or email:  KSC-CVLC@NASA.GOV

            COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY APRIL 7.
           
Please also contact U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and U.S. Senator Mel Martinez and urge them to get these two federal agencies to start talking to each other to work cooperatively to use the existing, unused launch areas on the Air Force property.

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson U.S. Senator Mel Martinez
716 Hart Senate Office Building 317 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington 20510 Washington 20510
http://www.billnelson.senate.gov mel_martinez@martinez.senate.gov
You can contact Senator Nelson
through his website.

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STOP THE INEQUITABLE REDUCTIONS ON RECREATIONAL FISHERS!

STOP THE GULF GROUPER COMMERCIAL GIVEAWAY!

ATTEND PUBLIC HEARINGS – MARCH 13, 19 AND 20.

OPPOSE THE PROPOSED FEDERAL GULF COUNCIL GROUPER REGULATIONS.

1.  BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has proposed inequitable reductions in gag grouper take. These proposals brought opposition from hundreds of anglers and divers at the Council’s January 30 Public hearing. The Council is proposing a forty five percent reduction in gag take. This results in recreational fishers being limited to only one gag grouper in a three fish aggregate bag limit. Fishing for all groupers will be closed to recreational take from January 15 to April 15. These severe restrictions on recreational fishers are being proposed while commercial fishers retain their 6,000 pound trip limit of any grouper, and have only a one month closure during the spawning aggregation period.

In addition, the federal Council is expediting the implementation of a program which will transfer the exclusive right of access to more than one half of the Gulf grouper into the hands of a limited number of commercial fishermen. The program is called an Individual Fishable Quota (IFQ).

CCA opposes the Council’s preferred alternative for bag limits and seasons, opposes the commercial IFQ for grouper, and requests the development of management measures that fairly and equitably distribute the impacts of the quota reduction between the sectors.

For more detailed information, please see the attached CCA Comments and Recommendations.

2.  ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARINGS AND EXPRESS YOUR OPPOSITION

March 13, 2008
Edgewater Conf Ctr.
11212 Front Beach Blvd.
Panama City, FL

March 19, 2008
Radisson Hotel
12600 Roosevelt
St. Petersburg, FL

March 20, 2008
Comfort Inn
3860 Tollgate Blvd.
Naples, FL 34114

All Public Hearings Begin at 6:00 P.M.

ACT NOW AND ALSO SEND YOUR OPPOSITION EMAIL OR LETTER TO:

U.S. Congressional Representatives
To locate your Congressman or Congresswoman go to http://www.votesmart.org/ and type in your zip code.

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MOSQUITO LAGOON AND MERRITT ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PROPOSED FOR NASA COMMERCIAL LAUNCH SITES!

MAJOR ADVERSE IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES, HABITAT AND PUBLIC ANGLER ACCESS EXPECTED.

ACT NOW! SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO NASA AND OUR U.S. SENATORS!

1.  BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Mosquito Lagoon and Merritt Island area is one of the premier fishing destinations in Florida’s six billion dollar saltwater recreational fishery. Florida’s fishery is the largest in the U.S., and twice the value of the second largest state. It is one of the major economic engines driving Florida’s tourist economy.

NASA is proposing to develop a commercial space launch facility. NASA consultants have identified two 200 acre alternatives. One of the alternatives is right on the southwest shoreline of Mosquito Lagoon. Major objections to both areas were voiced by a large turn out of saltwater anglers, hikers, bird watchers and other conservationists at recent public hearings.

More detailed information on the proposed project and alternatives can be found on the NASA website at:

http://environmental.ksc.nasa.gov/projects/ksc-cvlc.htm

Both of the proposed areas have environmentally sensitive areas that serve as critical habitat for endangered and threatened species that will be negatively impacted if developed. In addition, there are substantial public access and angler access restriction problems in both areas. Our initial review indicates that it does not make any sense to use either of the two areas recommended by NASA consultants when nearby property owned by the U.S. Air Force already has unused launch sites. In fact, it appears that one of the private space companies is already planning to use one of the launch sites at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Comments should be sent to NASA opposing the two alternatives and urging them to work with the U.S. Air Force to utilize existing and unused launch sites for the proposed private, commercial spacecraft launch site.

            Send your comments and objections to:
            Mario Buscacca, Environmental Program Office
            Mail Code TA-C3
            Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

            or email:  KSC-CVLC@NASA.COM

            COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY APRIL 7.
           
Please also contact U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and U.S. Senator Mel Martinez and urge them to get these two federal agencies to start talking to each other to work cooperatively to use the existing, unused launch areas on the Air Force property.

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WHO OWNS THE FISH? MARINE FISHERIES ARE PUBLICLY OWNED RESOURCES. ALLOCATION PROCEDURES DETERMINE WHO GETS THE FISH.

FEDERAL COUNCIL HAS SCHEDULED PUBLIC SCOPING WORKSHOPS TO GET INPUT ON ALLOCATION.

ANGLERS ARE URGED TO ATTEND AND GET INVOLVED IN PROCESS!

1.  BACKGROUND INFORMATION FROM COUNCIL

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is soliciting public input on possible options regarding the allocation of fishery resources between recreational and commercial user groups. Allocations within the recreational (e.g., for-hire and private) and commercial (e.g., hook-and-line, black sea bass pots, and longlines) sectors are also under consideration.

The reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act requires the Councils to establish Annual Catch Limits (pounds or numbers of fish) for each species and Accountability Measures that ensure the catch limit is not exceeded in any year by any sector. To do this the Council must allocate the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) from the stock assessment process between recreational and commercial sectors.

The public scoping meetings provide an opportunity for members of the public to make suggestions BEFORE the Council has made any decisions. Scoping meetings are held as part of this process and are less formal than public hearings. Public scoping occurs prior to the Council taking any position on a management issue. The public can provide comments during public scoping meetings and/or in writing to the Council office.

2.  CCA FLORIDA COMMENT

As recreational bag limits for groupers and red snapper decline, and more season closures are added, the growing question among the angling public is “who owns the fish.” More than a hundred years ago, commercial exploitation and market hunting for deer, ducks, and other publicly owned wildlife ended. Harvest was allowed by general public under strict limits and seasons. Marine fisheries are also publicly owned natural resources. Should they not be treated the same way?

Federal fishery laws and standards are contained in the Magnuson-Stevens Federal Fisheries Act. One of the act’s standards states that allocation of harvest must be “fair and equitable” and carried out “in such a manner that no particular individual, corporation or other entity acquires excessive share of such privileges.” The National Marine Fisheries Services’ (NMFS) interpretation and implementation of that standard is causing great concern for CCA and other angling interests.

There are many allocation issues in recent history of federal fisheries management. The best, or perhaps worst, example of inequitable allocation is red grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. The federal process has determined that up to 81% of the red grouper harvest should be taken by commercial interests. Recreational fishers have been continuously reduced to the point where the recreational bag limit is only one fish, with the addition of another one month closure. CCA filed a lawsuit in 2005 against NMFS when it attempted to enact Interim Rules to close the entire Gulf of Mexico to all recreational take, for all groupers, for three months. CCA won the lawsuit and only red grouper was limited. During the battle, it was shown that commercial longline boats take the majority of the commercial allocation of red grouper. It was also shown that just 25 commercial longline boats took more red grouper than what was allocated to all the recreational fishers in the entire Gulf of Mexico!

It is difficult to believe how such an allocation could possibly be considered fair and equitable.

Growing dissatisfaction over inequitable allocations like red grouper and the recent move to dramatically reduce the Gulf recreational amberjack allocation is causing action at the federal council level. The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council has started a Fisheries Management Amendment to address the allocation issue. Concerns are being expressed about the use of recent catch records as means to determine allocations. That is a problem since recreational landings in grouper, amberjack, and other species have been reduced and manipulated by inequitable regulations that have more impact on recreational than commercial take.

3.  PUBLIC WORKSHOPS

The SAFMC has scheduled the following three public workshops around Florida to take public input.

YOU ARE STRONGLY URGED TO ATTEND ONE!

Monday, February 4, 2008
The Mutiny Hotel
2951 South Bayshore Drive
Coconut Grove, Florida 33133
Phone: 305-441-2100

Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Radisson Resort at the Port
8701 Astronaut Boulevard
Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920
Phone: 321-784-0000

Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Quality Inn – Stellar Conference Center
125 Venure Drive
Brunswick, Georgia 31525
Phone: 912-265-4600

Written comments must be received by 5 pm on February 22, 2008. Comments can be emailed to:  CompAllocScoping@safmc.net

The scoping document is being distributed prior to the scoping meetings to give everyone a chance to prepare comments. Copies of the scoping document will also be available on the Council’s web site at www.safmc.net and distributed at the following scoping meeting.

CCA FLORIDA WILL BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE ENTIRE PROCESS! HOWEVER, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR INDIVIDUALS TO APPEAR AND PARTICIPATE. NUMBERS MATTER IN THIS EXERCISE AND WE URGE ALL CCA MEMBERS AND ANGLERS TO BECOME INVOLVED!

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