That was the rallying cry for recreational and commercial fishermen as they gathered Feb. 24, from noon to 3 p.m., on the steps of the Capitol. They were there to protest a snowballing avalanche of fisheries closures prompted by revision of Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act (MSCCA).
"The closures keep coming and it's good to see the collective fishing communities and industries, both recreational and commercial, calling for science-based Magnuson reform," said Jim Donofrio, executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), who cited the shutdown of amberjack, red snapper, and black sea bass fisheries as a example of a system that is broken.
The protestors and their elected representatives want to drive home to the Obama administration the impact that "non-scientific, arbitrary deadlines" have on anglers, their families, and coastal communities.
"We fully support real science-based management and the conservation of our marine resources, while also being able to sustain recreational and commercial fishing activities," said Bob Zales of the Conservation Cooperative of Gulf Fishermen (CCGF).