As fishermen we need to advocate and stand up for the fish. If we don't, no one else will and there will be no fish left to catch for commercial or recreational fishers.
I received a press release Wednesday from the Recreational Fishing Alliance that called on President-elect Donald Trump to make changes that liberalize the Magnuson-Stevens Act (the fishing law of this nation) so it benefits the RFA’s members. The said the alliance is comprised of fishing industry representatives as well as recreational fishermen.
James Donofrio, executive director of RFA said, “The days of the environmental zealots running the show are, for the most part, over… So, we're excited about this new direction, and look forward to some positive changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Act that will benefit our sector, along with a new attitude towards fishery management.”
This week, I heard from 30 fishermen, many of them leaders of fishing clubs and associations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, on how we need to keep the MSA strong… the way it is, so it continues to rebuild fish stocks around the nation (over 40 fish species stocks have been rebuilt under the act).
