Here we go again
Every year, as we put together our Yearbook issue, I revisit by remembering my travels around the country. I'm sure it comes as no surprise to NF readers that 2013 was full of dizzying highs and lows, on all coasts. Even in Alaska, where the industry is bustling with new boats, new processors, high permit prices and a record salmon harvest, fishing communities and fleets are fighting some big battles, like the threat of a massive mine and an attack on Cook Inlet gillnetters.
Some of the lowest lows have come from the Northeast and on the Gulf Coast, where many fishermen are losing their livelihoods as a result of circumstances beyond their control. And of course, in every corner of the country, commercial fleets are fighting to keep their gear and allocation. Some groups representing recreational fishermen are drawing the battle lines in the name of conservation. But everywhere you see these fights, the sportfishing representatives do not want to retire the quota they claim, but rather reallocate it to a different user group. That is not conservation. It's fish politics at its lowest to take away a historic way of life in the name of tourism.
What is most frustrating about these fights is that they pin user groups against each other, while in many fisheries in many parts of the country, sport, charter and commercial fishermen work very well together to protect the resource and maintain public access to it. That's how fishery management can and should work. I urge our readers to resist participating in the "us versus them" game of divisive fish politics (we see how well that has worked for Congress), and instead get involved in the process. Be a voice for your fishery, your history and your way of life.
As 2014 progresses, I hope we make some headway on Capitol Hill in the process of reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. As I write this, NF and the Center for Sustainable Fisheries is preparing for two more conferences — in Boston on March 17 and in New Orleans on March 25 (see www.nationalfisherman.com/magnuson for more information). Our goal is to continue to bring the conversation to the people (we kicked off the series in Seattle in February) in the hopes that we can use some gathering momentum to bring the changes that you want to the federal fisheries legislation.
There is widespread understanding that the 10-year rebuilding time line is arbitrary and cannot be applied as a blanket solution. How we come around to providing some flexibility to managers who oversee nonresponsive fisheries without hampering our national goals to keep our fisheries managed for sustainability remains to be seen. But it can be done. I hope you will join us for the conversation.
— Jessica Hathaway
