Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries
256 Figueroa Street #1, Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 373-5238
www.alliancefisheries.com

 

My name is Kathy Fosmark.  I come from and am part of a fishing family.  I have been a Council Member of the Pacific Fishery Management Council for about a year now.  It is an honor to be a panelist at the PSMFC FISH Conference speaking on how constituents interact with NMFS.  My main point will be to try and explain the difficulties and frustration fishermen face in this process.

Fishermen make their money by the sweat of their brow and skills they have acquired after many long hours, days, weeks, and months spent away from their families at sea.  They then sacrifice additional time away from their families and earning a living to go through this process of creating regulations. Fishery Management Plans, Biological Opinions, in season management, State policy positions that affect fishing, International Treaties for stock sharing, aquaculture are all issues they must face today in order to maintain their livelihood in the future.   Sometimes that future comes as early as next week!

In addition, they must deal with Sanctuary initiatives that are not based on science at all and do affect fishing.  The working fishermen are subject to emergency rulemaking, stock assessment reviews (STAR panel meetings), Experimental Fisheries Permit processes, Subcommittees Statements and their subsequent advise, followed by a Council three meeting processes to change the rules, Environmental Reviews, and in some cases Office of Protected Species with endangered and threatened species oversight meetings.  Take reduction plans may apply to their fishery and are complex and lengthy also.  Observers and Vessel Monitoring Systems or cameras on the boats which are increasingly required in many fisheries to aid enforcement and insure that fishermen are following the law are common and require meetings to resolve practical problems, costs, and applications.  Even when the fishermen have spent what could be three years on an exempt fishing permit plan that is supported by facts, data and the Council, they know the possibility exists of NMFS turning them down.  This is always in their mind.  How can it be explained?

There is a heavy burden placed on the fishermen given public perception usually based on editorials and sound bites of some environmental advocates.  Many of these outside and not well

 

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