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CCA Florida represents more than 10,000 conservation minded saltwater recreational fisherman in 28 local chapters throughout
Florida
. We support HB 1473 and SB 1614 and urge you to support them as well.
We believe the State of
Florida
and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have done a good job. Contrary to the lawsuits and statements made by manatee and animal rights groups, manatees are not declining to extinction. The best available science indicates that manatee populations have been steadily increasing over the last 25 years. CCA Florida supports the manatee legislation because it will provide needed science and local public input to counterbalance the lawsuit tactics of the manatee and animal rights groups.
As HB 1473 and SB 1614 continue to be passed out of committees, manatee groups opposing the bills are making wild claims that the legislation is an “unprecedented attack,” “dangerous” and “deceptive.” However, the deception is in the opponents comments not in any provisions contained in the legislation. Here are two prime examples comparing the language in the bills to opponent comments which demonstrate how opponents are misrepresenting two major elements of the bills:
- ESTABLISHING MEASURABLE BIOLOGICAL GOALS FOR MANATEE RECOVERY
· THE EXACT LANGUAGE IN HB 1473 AND SB 1614 IS AS FOLLOWS:
Section 370.12 (2) (s) No later than
February 15, 2003
, the commission, working in conjunction with the
U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, shall develop a measurable biological goal that defines manatee recovery. This measurable biological goal shall be used by the commission in its development of management plans or work plans and shall be used by the commission and the local rule-review committees to evaluate the effectiveness of existing and proposed manatee-protection rules and to determine the progress in achieving manatee recovery.
· OPPONENTS SAY THE PROVISION WILL:
“Require manatee protection to be measured against a new unknown recovery goal and sabotage the state and local governments’ statutory authority to protect manatees from speeding boats unless it can be demonstrated that the recovery of the entire population is at risk from the lack of any individual zone.” (1)
· PROPONENT COMMENTS:
CCA Florida has been urging state and federal agencies to establish measurable biological goals, which will insure a sustainable manatee population and provide the means to determine the effectiveness of existing protection measures and the need for new measures. It doesn’t matter whether the management issue is snook, grouper or manatees, certain scientific information is needed to properly manage a species. First are biological goals which equate to a healthy, sustainable population and second are population models and other assessment tools which evaluate the population in the context of the goals. If such measures are not established, the effectiveness of existing protection measures cannot be determined, nor can the need for additional measures be fairly or accurately evaluated. In the absence of such information, issues become driven by politics and emotion instead of science. This is what is happening in manatee protection. Management decisions are being driven by lawsuits, politics, and emotion which are focused almost exclusively on a single issue – the number of manatees killed by boats.
- ESTABLISHING A BALANCED LOCAL ADVISORY GROUP TO REVIEW AND COMMENT ON MANATEE SPEED ZONES RULES BEFORE FINAL ACTION IS TAKEN BY THE FWC
· THE EXACT LANGUAGE CONTAINED IN HB 1473 AND SB 1614 IS AS FOLLOWS:
370.12(2)(f)3. The board of county commissioners of each county in which a rule to regulate the speed and operation of motorboats for the protection of manatees is proposed shall designate a local rule-review committee that represents a balance of fishers, boaters, water skiers, other traditional waterway users, and environmental interests. A board of county commissioners may designate an existing advisory group as the local rule-review committee so long as the membership of the advisory group maintains a balance of fishers, boaters, water skiers, other traditional waterway users, and environmental interests.
In addition, the review committee is clearly advisory to the FWC, it cannot adopt or prevent adoption of any rules. Also, both bills insure that all interests on the review committee will be heard by including the following language:
370.12(2)(f)11. The written reports submitted by the local rule-review committees shall contain a majority opinion. If the majority opinion is not unanimous, a minority opinion shall also be included.
· OPPONENTS SAY THAT THIS LANGUAGE WILL:
“Stack the committees with people who favor high-speed boating interests over protection of manatees and manatee habitat.” (1)
“Remove provisions for local governments to resolve conflicts through the use of a local manatee protection committee.” (1)
· PROPONENT COMMENTS:
CCA Florida supports the establishment of balanced local advisory panels because we firmly believe that water users, such as local anglers and fishing guides, and environmental interests can provide valuable input up front to assist in balancing the protection needs for manatees and reasonable boating access needs for anglers and boaters. Much of the current conflict and controversy can be resolved through such a process.
CCA
FLORIDA
BELIEVES THAT RECREATIONAL FISHING AND MANATEE CONSERVATION ARE COMPATIBLE ACTIVITIES AND THAT MANAGEMENT MEASURES CAN BE DEVELOPED WHICH ALLOW BOTH TO SURVIVE. HB 1473 / SB 1614 WILL HELP IN ACHIEVING THAT GOAL.
WE URGE YOU TO SUPPORT THEM.
THE ATTACHED GRAPHS DEMONSTRATE TWO IMPORTANT POINTS
FIGURE 1 places the annual boating related manatee mortalities (bottom line) in context with total manatee population estimates from peak counts (top line).
Analysis indicates that when boat mortality is adjusted per 100 manatees there is no apparent change with time. Boating deaths per capita shows a variable, but stable rate, without an increasing trend. |
