Ladies
and Gentlemen of the NCWU,
I
sit here this morning, and I can’t believe the kids go back to school this
week. I can remember my grandfather - on more than one occasion - telling me
that as I grew older, Time would seem to grow wings. Indeed, it seems to go
faster each day. This passage of time, as I look back ten years, is what has
gotten our fisheries where they are today. Fishery regulations, without
accountability on the part of the regulators, the boards, the commissions or
the elected representatives, have compounded the burden we face as we look to
impact our future.
Being
involved with the NCWU has allowed me the privilege to engage in conversation
with people I would have not necessarily have talked with a number of years
ago. Inevitably, the conversation always gets around to “How did you get to
this point?” How did an industry that is totally responsible for this country’s
being settled – by providing a ready source of protein – get to the point that
it is basically regulated to the verge of survival? How did the charter/headboat industry – the beginning of the tourist industry
on the Outer Banks – get to the point that it is fighting for its survival? The
answer is …Time. The forces arrayed against professional watermen have devoted
much more time in reducing our influence, than we have in maintaining our
presence. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this. It is what it is. We
do, however, need to reverse this trend, to which the NCWU is diligently
striving.
Our
past president, Ernie Foster, likes to invoke an old phrase, “Death by a
Thousand Cuts,” to characterize what has befallen our industry. Our adversaries
realize that without economic solvency, our industry cannot survive. To which
end, they have been working extremely hard. “Cut this out; Cut that out; Regulate this; Tax that; Proclaim this; Contribute to this
candidate…” You get the picture. This is the reality of today. Look only as far
as our charter/headboat fleet and our dedicated
commercial fishermen, and you will see “Death by a Thousand Cuts.” If the
professional watermen do not have a fall-back contingency, then we do not have
a rosy economic future ahead. Our industry has to roll with the punches; take
what God gives us and adapt. Our adaptability is what has allowed us to survive
to this point.
The
politically-involved in our
industry started at the top as
we tried to control our destiny. We started with the National Marine Fisheries
Service, the various councils and commissions and the state. We inserted ourselves in
discourse about our future with the Marine Fisheries Commission and the Joint
Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture. We have inserted ourselves
in discourse with our state and federal elected officials. I do not use the tem
“inserted” loosely. Yet, our professional industry, (the charter/headboat and commercial), has not been asked to take part.
We have been licensed, regulated and taxed without equal representation, and
Time keeps on clicking by. Each and every group and individual that has allowed
this to take part is guilty, and many ask what future we have without our state
support.
As
our industry continued to bleed, the NCWU backed up, put its heads together and
opened another door. This door is the Dare County Board of Commissioners. We
made an official presentation to our Board of Commissioners, and the members
listened. Not only did they listen, but they have started the process of
healing. The task is daunting, but they are up for it. They have brought in the
Boards of Commission of other counties, and they have engaged in working
conversation with our state elected officials, including Marc Basnight and Tim Spear. Our county has engaged the Marine
Fisheries Commission and its director, Louis Daniel. This is where the rubber
meets the road, folks! Will our county, and our state, have the political
backbone to do what is right? This is a question in the forefront of many
people’s minds as we see the ramifications of a weakened economy in our county,
state and nation. Will our elected officials and their political appointees,
realize that accountability is being sought by the people they serve? It is
time that we demand it!
Being
a part of the political process can be as involved as you would like. The first
step is to make sure you are registered to vote. The second is to pay attention
to the candidates and the positions they espouse. Is their platform one that
contributes to our historical fisheries, and our local economies - with a nod
to the future? On many ballots, there are many candidates that are running
unopposed. If these candidates do not support our localities, our state and our
nation, then don’t vote for them! You can write in a candidate for any
political
office.
A dip in percentage of votes is not lost on the electorate, nor is it lost on
the candidate. The registered voter and the taxpayer wield the greatest amount
of influence over public office. The candidates exist for us, not vice-versa.
Never forget that.
In
closing, I would like to take the opportunity to ask you to take part. First,
send us your dues. If you are not part of solution, then you are part of the
problem.
Second,
vote, or register to vote. If you have a question about how to do this, contact
us, and we will steer you in the right direction.
Third,
we have a list of people for you to thank. First is the Dare County Board of
Commissioners. They have established the Commission for Working Watermen (CWW),
which is advising them on issues of importance. The chair of this Commission is
Mike Johnson, who deserves a special thank-you. This Commission decided that
the first order of business was to re-establish a dogfish fishery in our state.
Mike took a couple of industry representatives this past week to work toward
that aim with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. North Carolina
has been arbitrarily shut out of this fishery for seven years, even as
Massachusetts and Virginia allow their fishermen to work. This arrangement is
not acceptable. Although the Dogfish Fishery doesn’t seem to have much to do
with the chart/headboat industry, the precedent set
by our county involving itself in affairs that affect our local residents has
everything to do with the charter/headboat sector.
The issues that will directly affect the charter/headboat
sector are coming, and the membership of the NCWU and its activism are the only
factors that have kept arbitrary regulation at bay. Remember the CRFL – the new
saltwater fishing tax that has not lived up to its hype by the MFC? TALK ABOUT
MIND-BLOWING! We’re going to send an update on this later.
The
last thing I want to ask is that you email Marc Basnight’s
office – Marcb@ncleg.net. Tim Spear has called for a meeting with the Working
Watermen’s Commission, and Marc, himself, has been asked to attend along with
his fisheries appointee. The progress for our fishermen, and our communities,
is based on non-partisan support. I have asked that Marc find the time to
attend such an important meeting.
I’m
standing by…
Keep
‘er tight!
Shack
Britt
Shackelford, President, NCWU
Appeal on the Snapper/Grouper
Ruling
Tilman Gray
In
the case involving the Snapper/Grouper Complex, Judge Bates originally ordered
the NMFS to give us meaningful relief for their wrongdoing in Amendment 13.
This amendment cut back the catch to 100 pounds per daily trip, which was a 66%
reduction for snowy grouper, vermillion snapper and golden tile.
NCFA
and Avon Seafood met with NMFS to work out the issue. We, the plaintiffs, felt
that meaningful relief meant a relief in some of the regulations and
recreational accountability, but at our last hearing with the judge, he
announced that the government was doing everything it could do to help the
plaintiffs.
We
have filed an appeal, and it will be heard in September 2008. To date,
basically what Judge Bates has said is that the federal government could do
whatever it wants, no matter what the states or local governments say,
regardless of the impact it has on its citizens.
Photo by Melba Milak
“Tall Bill”
Commercial Fisherman in Hatteras
Commission for Working Watermen
Jamie Reibel
phideauxfish@charter.net
When
members of the NCWU enlightened the Dare County Board of Commissioners (DCBOC)
about the plight of the working watermen of Dare County, the Board recognized
the need for a special committee to keep the Commissioners informed on
fisheries issues, and the Dare County Commission for Working Watermen (CWW) was
formed.
The
CWW has come to learn that our elected officials need our help understanding
and deciphering fisheries laws and regulations. With a National Marine
Fisheries Service that is not exactly pro-commercial fishing and state
fisheries’ managers not able to help because of being bogged down by federal
regulations, first the CWW and the DCBOC; then our state elected officials, and
then our state fisheries’ managers – and probably in that order – must fight to
preserve North Carolina’s fisheries. Without the CWW highlighting the problems
and our elected officials working to correct them, North Carolina would lose
the economic contribution and important heritage of its traditional commercial
fishing. The CWW’s first fisheries management
correction is that of the spiny dogfish allocation, of which we have the
backing of our state officials. The outcome has yet to be realized, but common
sense says we will be successful.
Without
NCWU, there would be no CWW, and both organizations are protecting your rights
to enjoy our coastal fisheries resources – whether by enjoying a trip on a
charter boat, harvesting wholesome food for citizens and visitors or just
surf-fishing.
NCWU
is working for you!
Spiny Dogfish
Courtesy NOAA
Dewey Hemilright
FVTarbaby@embarqmail.com
Since
the ASMFC (Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission) plan for spiny dogfish
came on line in 2002, North Carolina has been unfairly treated in the
management of the plan, and our state fishery representatives have done nothing
to see that this treatment is changed. The stocks are not OVERFISHED, and
OVERFISHING is not occurring. So why aren’t we fishing? Because
there has been NO oversight of the plan by ASMFC or our state. WHY NOT?
The
CWW brought forward resolutions to the DCBOC asking our state director, Louis
Daniel, for a 1.3 million-pound quota of spiny dogfish for the year 2008. This
is based on North Carolina’s landing average of 15% from 1988 – 2001.
We
felt that this would be an “easy one” for everyone to support, since this has
been going on for six years with no remedy. Yes, six years!
Had
there been a state-by-state quota since 2002, North Carolina would have had the
chance to land over 3 million pounds of spiny dog instead of less than 700,000.
We
fishermen have been told that we need to rebuild the stocks and then you can go
fishing again. WHY AREN’T WE FISHING?
The
question and answers fall directly on our state fishery representatives and our
elected officials that are sent to Raleigh to look out for their fishermen and
communities.
There
is NO reason that North Carolina should not have a 1.3 million pound quota and
its fishermen fishing in 2008 - unless our state does not want a commercial
fishing industry. Nobody wants to play hardball; everyone is playing whiffleball instead.
Let’s
just wait and see
ASMFC Meeting Update
At
the Atlantic States Marine fisheries Commission meeting in August, no decision
was made about NC’s Dogfish fishery. Two
opinions have been sset up for public opinion.
1. After the Dogfish Fishery reaches its quota (58% from
Connecticut north and 42% from NewYour south) the
Dogfish Fishery will be closed, or
(2) A state-by-state quota system will be allocated, of
which there are already eight or nine plans.
Another ASMFC meeting is scheduled for October
2008.
Energy Crisis
Clifton Parker
Lpark97@aol.com
The
following letter was submitted to our Board of Directors by one of our members,
a charter boat captain in Hatteras. The board voted to accept it and sent the
letter to our elected officials in the United States Congress and to all of our
North Carolina General Assembly Senators and Representatives.
Dear Senator/House Member,
The dramatic fuel increases are having a devastating
effect on the watermen of North Carolina. We are interested in increased
domestic production of our energy resources in the United States.
The policy of neglecting our domestic supply and the
reliance on foreign powers for our energy source is a failed policy.
We favor an aggressive policy of domestic drilling
for oil, gasification, nuclear power, solar power, wind power, the conversion
of oil shale to useful product, electric and hybrid vehicles or any other
method of energy production as it is developed.
We have a petition at Teach’s
Lair Marina in Hatteras, North Carolina, supporting this policy and have
collected hundreds of signatures. We will send copies on request. The energy
issue is emerging as the biggest problem facing our country.
The United States Congress is the biggest obstacle
in our being able to increase the production of domestic oil. We would like your support for the development of domestic energy supplies, and we will monitor
your individual votes on energy issues.
Make no mistake, the
American public has its eye on the energy issue.
Yours truly,
NCWU
Please
remember to send your email address to MelbaNCWU@charter.net.
Our next newsletter will be electronic!
It’s Not about Birds; It’s about Access
John Couch, OBPA President
guitarcouch@earthlink.net
In
the early 1970s, two executive orders mandated that an Off Road Vehicle (ORV)
Management Plan be developed in all National Parks as part of the requirement
to allow off-road driving. The Outer Banks Preservation Association (OBPA) and
others worked with the National Park Service and developed an ORV Management
Plan for Cape Hatteras National Seashore in 1978. This plan was sent to the Department
of the Interior in Washington D.C. and eventually died in the morass of
Washington politics. Currently, there is a Negotiated Rule Making Process to
develop the ORV Plan, and about 30 stakeholder groups have been assigned the
duty to develop this plan.
In
July 2007, Federal Judge Terrance Boyle issued an opinion stating that ORV
driving without a special use permit is against the law. This opinion opened
the door for a lawsuit. Three environmental groups, the National Audubon
Society and the Defenders of Wildlife represented by the Southern Environmental
Law Center, filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue in October 2007. The lawsuit
claimed irreparable harm to birds, and the cause was lawlessness of beach
driving. In February 2008, these groups filed for a temporary injunction to ban
beach driving in our seashore. In the aftermath of the lawsuit - with virtually
no public participation or input - a consent decree was enacted. The choices
offered to the public were either a park-wide ban on beach driving, or
opportunities for access with the consent decree. Since the enactment of the
consent decree on April 30, 2008, unprecedented beach closures for birds have
all but closed off the most popular recreational areas to residents and
visitors, including pedestrians. These unnecessary actions have put an economic
hardship on the Outer Banks communities.
What
can we do? US. Representative Walter Jones has
introduced to Congress, Bill HR 6233. Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr
also introduced Bill SR 3113 to the Senate. These bills call for the lifting of
the consent decree and a return to the equitable Interim Bird Species
Management Plan until the ORV plan is completed.
Please
call your representative and ask for the co-sponsorship of these bills. OBPA
would like to thank the NCWU for its support on returning the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore to a more equitable management policy and its support of
these bills.
Economic Impact Study
Sara Mirabilio
saram@csi.northcarolina.edu.
The
Recreation Value and Economic Impacts of
the North Carolina For-Hire Recreational Fishing Fleet Study is a year-long
project funded by a NC Fishery Resources Grant for $70,348. The Principal
Investigators are Ernie Foster and Rom Whitaker, both past presidents of NCWU
and charter boat captains in Hatteras, and Dr. Chris Dumas, Associate Professor
of Economics, at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Two
groups of individuals are being surveyed to assess the impacts of For-Hire
fishing activity on the regional economy and the economic benefits to the
fishing persons – 1. The For-Hire fishing vessel owners and
captains, and 2. The For-Hire fishing vessel
passengers.
Two
types of analysis will be conducted using the survey data – economic benefit
analysis and economic impact analysis. Economic benefits are a measure of the
value of the For-Hire sport fishing experience to the passengers themselves.
Economic impacts are measures of the economic value of For-Hire fishing vessel
and passenger activity on other industries in the economy.
The
goal of the study will distinguish the effects of the For-Hire fishery from the
effects of private recreational boaters and the commercial fishery. Many
related businesses (hotels, restaurants, marinas, tackle shops, fuel and bait
suppliers, boat yards, boat builders, etc.) are directly affected by the
success of the Charter/Headboat industry. The
For-Hire fishery also supports commercial fisheries and commercial fish houses
through ice and bait purchases. The industry is also important for tourism
development, as a very large percentage of the business comes from out of
state. The results of the study will not only be useful to state and local
Travel and Tourism Boards, but also, to fishery managers in delineation of the
For-Hire industry as a separate fishery in fishery management discussions.
The
surveys will be collected through October 31, 2008 to ensure that a full year
of fishing data is collected.
The
status of the study, as of July 2008, reported that a cumulative total of 551
completed passenger surveys and 57 completed captain surveys have been sent to
UNC. Participating boat captains are being “thanked” for their time to complete
the rather lengthy annual expenditures survey with a $100.00 gasoline gift
card.
Corporate Sponsors
Robbi Viveiros, Marketing Director
Many
thanks to our 2008 Corporate Sponsors We urge our membership,
when you have a choice, please use their services.
Atlantic
Charters, Manteo
B
& B Boats, Manteo
Bayliss Boatworks, Wanchese
Capt.
Stacy Fishing Fleet, Atlantic Beach
Darrell’s
Restaurant, Manteo
Grady-White
Boats, Greenville
Hatteras
Harbor Marina, Hatteras
Jarrett
Bay Boatworks, Beaufort
Marine
Electronics of the Outer Banks
Paul
Spencer Yachts, Wanchese
Wanchese
Fish Company, Wanchese
Wildcat
Propellers, Chesapeake, VA
Willie
Etheridge Seafood, Wanchese
If
you are a Regular member and have not received your T-shirt, please email me at
RobbiofNCWU@yahoo.com,
and I’ll get it right out to you - with our sincere thanks for your membership.
NCWU
Logo vanity plates in full color are now available for $20.00 each. Email me to
order one and show your pride and your support for your fellow watermen.