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| Subject: Re: Bad News for Atlantic Shark Managment | |
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Author: Jim Morris |
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Date Posted: 930842182PDT In reply to: Jim Morris 's message, "Bad News for Atlantic Shark Managment" on 930839947PDT Forwarded: In a message dated 7/1/99 3:56:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, rhueter@mote.org writes: << Now my words: This court action threatens to destroy the shark rebuilding program that has taken NMFS, independent scientists, the HMS Advisory Panel, and many others over a year to develop and put into place. Lest anyone think that Judge Merryday's opinion is based on a lack of confidence in the stock rebuilding plan, this action strictly revolves around economic issues in the commercial fishery. Otherwise, the recreational measures would have been thrown out as well. >> Hi Bob, Sorry you feel bad but for the commercial shark user group, this represents an opportunity to expose the preservationist agenda that has dominated this management regime since 1994. Sustainable use of a resource is supposed to be an option. The human condition must be observed for what it really is...destroyed small businesses by NMFS without compensation especially since NMFS chose throughout the 1980s to encourage our participation in "utilizing an underutilized species" for food. And to top it off, NMFS chose not to gather mortality information until after 1994 to speak of. Even though we have had a seat at the table through the recent years we have always felt like an outcast who has been targeted for total elimination. We have a right to exist. Management measures that were implemented in 1993 have worked. Annual mortality was reduced from the 20 to 30 million pounds dressed weight per year during the peak years of 1988-1993 down to @ 6 million pounds dw landed each year during 1994 to 1996. After that our landings were reduced to less than 3 million pounds dw each year since. The latest round of cuts proposed by NMFS would see about a million pounds dw landed during future years. Obviously mortality has been reduced and CPUE has skyrocketed. I have studied Springer's CPUE during the 1930s & 1940s, Branstetter's CPUE in 1986, etc., and found that 4 to 6 large coastal sharks per 100 hooks was normal. Many of our directed fishermen routinely see many more sharks than that currently. I have seen evidence of 30 to 40 sharks per 100 hooks in some cases. Blacktip, Sandbar, Dusky and Bull sharks seem to bunch up in large schools that as you know are highly migratory and are NOT closed populations as some of the modeling at the SEW's tries to promote. And of course, as Jack Musick said in recent years, the declines in abundance were first the fault of the recreational user groups during the 1970s to the mid-1980's, as per his spin in 1994. Add the 30-year Sandbar sexual maturity promoted by certain academia during the 1994 SEW to justify a 50% gutting to the commercial shark quota that was originally set in 1993 and you yield lack of trust by the commercial user groups in the science promoted by the SEW. When do you wish to engage in tolerance and concern for the commercial entities who answered the NMFS call to develop this market for sharks? When will you act like true partners at the table instead of open and secret enemies bent on our total destruction? You still have time to develop a working environment but the past several years has seen lip service with no real desire to truly work with us. It is almost criminal what has taken place during this regime. Isn't it time to take the target off of our back, we are tired of the extremist agenda. Point it elsewhere and let the dust settle. But then in my heart where I can forgive, I feel that others opposing us will become more intense about eliminating us forever since we represent things that they abhor. Rusty ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Russell H. Hudson Independent Fisheries Consultant HMS AP member ALWTRT member 320 Cavanah Drive Holly Hill, FL 32117 (904) 239-0948 Voice (904) 253-2843 * 51 Fax RHudson106@AOL.com [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| The commercial guys just don't get it!! | Jim Day | 930858131PDT |
| Re: Bad News for Atlantic Shark Managment | Jim Morris | 930954721PDT |
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| Re: Bad News for Atlantic Shark Managment | Russell Hudson AKA Rusty | 930992866PDT |
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