Please note, this article, published October 14 by an independent media center in San Francisco, is about the second Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting held on September 17.
“Why do we have most sustainable fleet, the fleet that provides the most fishing jobs, the fleet that gets the highest price per pound, the fleet with the lowest carbon foot print, the fleet that drives the most visited tourist attraction in the U.S. – Fisherman’s Wharf – why do we have that fleet tied to the dock going broke,” he stated. “The answer to that question is surprisingly simple – bad management.” –Larry Collins, president of the Crab Boat Owners Association of San Francisco
Larry Collins, president of the Crab Boat Owners Association of San Francisco, blasted bad federal and state fishery management for leading to the failure of the salmon and crab fisheries during the Obama Administration’s second Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting in San Francisco, California on September 17.
He also slammed the Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQ) program that Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the former Environmental Defense Board Vice Chair, is promoting.
“Even as information from all over the world is pouring in that Catch Shares merely consolidate our fish resources into fewer and bigger pockets and kill our traditional small boat fleets and communities, our federal managers forge ahead blindly,” he emphasized. “This may be the easiest way for the government to manage fish and it may make the Environmental Mafia happy enough to stop suing NMFS, but it is disastrous to the traditional fleet, our coastal communities and the people’s resources.”
The meeting drew over 400 people including recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, seaweed harvesters, environmentalists and elected officials who gave ranging input ranging on an array of ocean issues.
Read the complete story at San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center.