July 2010 Newsletter



July 4, 2010
President's Message


Happy Summer, men and women of the NCWU,

And what a year it has been!

The number one issue for everyone in the Charter/Headboat Industry has been the economy and what it has done to our clientele. Many of our people have not had disposable income to spare, and last year saw many of us very anxious about our businesses. Stress is not a good thing, and many of us were stressed to the max. The economic downturn has forced some of our brothers and sisters out of the Industry. Hopefully, those affected families will find something we pray will be better for them.

The good news is that many of our customers are over being worried and have steeled themselves to the economic reality of today; they have made a conscious decision to get on with their lives, and we have seen a return this year of many of our customers who had taken a couple of years off from fishing with us. Fishing centers up and down the coast that were ghost towns last year have seen a sharp unptick in business. Let's be thankful for the things we have to be thankful about.

For our commercial members, the number one reality of the past year has been REGULATION! We are not talking about sensible regulation; we are talking about over-the-top-absolutely-bull-hockey-regulation! Regulation from the South Atlantic Council, the SAMFC and the Mid-Atlantic Council. This absolutely absurd adherence to ignoring common sense and science has forced many of our hands. The foolishness of the Feds and their directors kow-tows to special interest, promotes special-interest agenda, ignores the mandates of equal representation and fails to take a stand against ridiculously unfair federal regulation.

The consequences of our state and federal elected officials failing to join together to make a statement about our state's commitment to sensible, science-based regulation has now manifested itself in our state's Recreational and Charter/Headboat sectors. It is long past time for our elected officials - county, state and federal - to band together in a show of solidarity and demand truthfulness, transparency and sensible regulation without any hint of special-interest agenda. We have all - Recreational, Commercial, Charter/Headboat AND consumers been affected by closures. These closures are everywhere - on beaches, on the sounds and on the ocean. Register to vote; educate yourselves about the options you have in the next election and the following ones. We can all make a difference at the polls.

We are all aware of emission/EPA discharge Permits, net bans, closed areas and fishery closures that have affected all of us. Please understand that your organizaiton, the NCWU, has weighed in on these issues that have affected you, and we have weighed in on many more that may not have affected you, YET. We have improved our information dissemination dramatically to keep you informed and made it easier for you to weigh in on issues that will ultimately affect you. We are the voice for many people in the Fishing Industry and all Related Fishery issues. The results of listening to you and involving ourselves in issues that affect you have caused our membership to soar. Robbi, our Marketing Director, has done an excellent job with our Membership and the  appreciation of our Members. Melba, our Executive Secretary, has done an outstanding job bull-dogging officials into doing what is right. Getting elected public officials on the record as supporting us, our communities and our contribution to this great state is huge. She has held feet to the flames, and she is exercising her muscles even as we speak, to latch on tighter to some issues this year. Both these ladies deserve a huge "Thank You" whenever you see them!

As always, we have a totally dedicated team of Board Members that reads like a Who's Who in the North Carolina Fishing world. We have all bases covered, except for a full-time Sound Fisherman. We had the right person, but some personal things came up that precluded him from serving on the Board. We are searching right now to fill that spot. We want to welcome Billy Maxwell back to the Board, and we want to say "Thanks" to all of our returning Board Members. These men and women give a huge amount of time and energy to you. If you have a legitimate  reason not to be a Member, bring it to our attention. If not, please send in your money, get all of our updates and educate yourselves to what is coming, how to avoid it, and who of the people running for office has our backs. There are only twelve of us, and we can barely keep up with all the issues. It is difficult to speak for those who don't participate with their time or their membership. Thanks are not expected, but your membership is!

Have a great summer!
Shack
Britt Shackelford; President, NCWU
info@doghousesportfishing.com


What's NCWU Done for Me?
Melba Milak
Executive Secretary, NCWU

Since I've been working with the North Carolina Watermen United, I've heard this question many times, "What's NCWU done for me?"

Worse, I may run into a commercial fisherman unloading his catch at the Fish House who says, "Well, I didn't see NCWU at such-and-such a meeting; they only care about Charter/Headboat Fishing."

Or, I see a Charter captain at the grocery store who says, "Far as I'm concerned, the NCWU spends most of its time on Commercial Fisheries."

Or, I am offshore sport-fishing and one of the other passengers says, "The NCWU does nothing for us Recreational fishermen; they only cater to the guys out killing all the fish."

Each of them is correct in a limited way; the NCWU spends time on Charter/Headboat issues, the NCWU spends time on Commercial Fisheries and the NCWU spends time on Recreational fishing issues. We have Members from all three groups and work every day to keep ALL fishermen informed about the current issues affecting ALL the Fisheries.

A Summary List of the NCWU "Projects" for the past year-and-a-half includes -

Opposition to Catch Shares (a program that allots a share of the annual catch to a limited number of individuals or groups based on past catch records.)
  • Joined the sub-group, Fishermen United Against Catch Shares.
  • Faxed Chairwoman Bordallo and all 23 members of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans & Wildlife opposing Catch Shares. The letter was added to the Official Minutes of the meeting.
  • Emailed 11 Senators on US Senate Commerce Committee for NOAA Budget Review, 17 Senators on Senate Appropriation Subcommitee and 13 Representatives on the House Commerce Committee asking that no NOAA money be used to fund Catch Shares. 

Supported Flexibility in Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act - S 1255 and HR 1584
  • Attended the United We Fish Rally in Washington DC in February, 2010 where 20 Senators and Congressmen spoke to an audience of 5000 Commercial, Charter/Headboat and Recreational fishermen.
  • Wrote letter to Governor's Office asking for state support of Bills.
  • Requested support for the Bills from the entire NC US Congressional Delegation.
  • Joined the new national organization, Keep Fishermen Fishing.

Supported Opposition to Amendment 17B
  • Sent letter to Governor Perdue asking for state support in Opposition to Amendment 17B
  • Sent letter thanking Senator Burr and Congressmen Jones and McIntyre for asking Secretary of Commerce to reconsider the closing of the EEZ.
  • Signed SAFMC petition, "Don't Shut Down Healthy Fisheries."

Joined the "new" national organization, Keep Fishermen Fishing.

Joined Opposition to the Commerce/Interior Proposal to include Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear in the National System of Marine Protected Areas.

Joined Opposition to the Ocean Task Force's Draft on Marine Spatial Planning. (Ocean Zoning)

Joined Opposition to National Park Services Beach Closings.

Joined Opposition to listing Loggerhead Turtle on ESA.


Increased Membership to include all North Carolina Coastal Counties.
  • Held Membership Appreciation socials in Manteo and Hatteras.
  • Plans TBA for one in Morehead City area.

Has Board members who serve on federal, state and local Boards to keep our membership informed 
  • Advisory Committee for the Albermarle Sound Management Area Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan
  • Advisory Committee for Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan
  • Advisory Panel for NMFS Highly Migratory Species (HMS)
  • Dare County Commission for Working Watermen
  • Dare County Oregon Inlet and Water Ways Commission
  • North Carolina Coastal Federation
  • North Carolina Travel & Tourism Board
  • Outer Banks Catch

Completed the North Carolina For-Hire (Charter/Headboat) Fleet Economic Impact Study which showed -
  • Passengers per year - 430,938
  • For-Hire Fees per year - $65,488,531
  • Total Impact per year (with Multipliers - Lodging, Food, Souvenirs, etc.) - $667,405, 895

Updated the NCWU Website with provisions to -
  • Send the Newsletter to Membership on-line
  • Forward emails regarding all fishery issues to Membership
  • Link NCWU Web page to Regular Members and Corporate Sponsors Websites
  • Sell t-shirts and NCWU Logo license plates on-line
  • Provide on-line registration and payment for New Members and Renewals
Please share this message with anyone who is not a Member - they do not receive our mailings or the constant email updates. Help them become informed so that they KNOW the answer to "What's NCWU Done for Me?" 



Two Newest Board Members


Sonny Davis

Last summer, Leslie M. (Capt Sonny) Davis accepted an invitation to serve on the NCWU Board of Directors. He is the owner/operator of the Capt Stacy Fishing Fleet which runs out of Atlantic Beach, NC. He brings much valuable Headboat experience to the Board and fights a daily battle against the Regulations and Restricitions infringing upon or closing the fishing grounds in North Carolina's Mid-Atlantic region.


Billy Maxwell

This year, Billy Maxwell was welcomed back to the NCWU Board. He was one of the original Board Members when NCWU was organized in 2005, but took a leave of absence from the Board when both Boat-building and running the Tuna Fever out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center didn't allow him to spend as much time as he thought necessary. He says, "I'm happy to be back and participate. It's of the UTMOST importance that we stand UNITED in today's fishing world."
Message from the NCWU
 Marketing Director



"Thank you" to all who have renewed their Memberships, and
to all of our New Members.



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