For too long now the Enviros and political hacks have been putting more and more restrictions on commercial fishing, costing more and more hard working fishermen and women their jobs and careers. On Feb 24th 2010 these fishermen need your help to send a strong message to the Politicians. This grass roots effort has much in common with the TEA (taxed enough already) Party protests that swept across America in 2009. They need and deserve our help in fighting the corrupt federal beaurocracies who have manipulated science and data over and over again over the years and used this bogus data to further restrict the fishermen and make it harder and harder every year to earn an honest living.
I'm hoping to be able to highlight some of the scandals that are happening now, and the controversies and scandals of the past years and decades.
The fishermen are taking a stand on Feb 24th and I'm going to do all that I can to help spread the word and educate people on this very worthy effort to right the wrongs.
Capt. Black Bart
Now read on ye scurvy dogs!
From Nils Stolpe a long-time consultant for and chronicler of the commercial fishing industry:
First off, as we all know far too well, an ever intensifying anti-fishing malaise has afflicted NOAA/NMFS for at least a decade. What’s its source? To a very large extent, it’s come from a very successful and very expensive campaign bankrolled by very large foundations to convince as many people as possible with an interest in the world’s oceans that fishing is one of the greatest scourges to ever afflict them. Through the skillful – did I mention expensive? – manipulation of science and scientists, and through the selective – did I mention expensive? – manipulation of the print and broadcast media, a large proportion of those people, and the officials who represent them, have bought into this fantasy.
Unfortunately, when the people and their legislators in Washington go in a particular direction, whether that direction is right or wrong, most federal agencies aren’t too far behind. Thus, it’s fairly easy to suggest that the NOAA/NMFS Office of Law Enforcement’s “treat ‘em like criminals” attitude towards fishermen and fishing businesses is an understandable outgrowth of the institutional attitude of the parent agency.Read the full story about how the recently released first installment of the US Department of Commerce Inspector General’s report on the scandalously inadequate, unbalanced and inequitable job that NOAA/NMFS has been doing in enforcing fishing regulations, particularly in the Northeast here:
From the agency that brought us Trawlergate
