What is exactly FREE about AmeriKa anymore, anyway?
Oh, and keep this in mind:
"Federal officials estimate that the nation's more than 14 million saltwater sportfishermen catch 257 million pounds of fish a year - a minuscule amount compared with commercial fishing's 9.4 billion pounds"
So we gonna have FISH COPS now?
"Ocean fishing for sport faces fee; Millions of anglers would need license; US seeks better data on what is reeled in" by Beth Daley, Globe Staff | June 12, 2008
The only thing anyone's ever needed to sportfish off New England's coast is a rod, reel, and good luck.
Now, the more than 2.5 million people who fish for fun here will probably need a license.
The federal agency that manages fishing announced yesterday that it intends to require most saltwater anglers to register before fishing begins in 2009 and plans to start charging for the privilege by 2011.
Fishery officials have grown increasingly concerned about how many fish the nation's recreational fishermen reel in from the ocean each year.
WhyTF they concerned about the little guy, readers?
Guys using a rod-and-reel in one of America's beloved pastimes against CORPORATE DRIFT NETS that DEPLETE the STOCKS?
Seems like this is aimed at PROTECTING CORPORATE PROFITS and STARVING the PEOPLE!!!
Thanks, gummint!!!!
"This will lead to better stock assessments and more effective regulations to rebuild and manage these valuable fish," said Jim Balsiger, acting assistant administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service.
The rule will mean most fishermen - whether fishing from a dock, beach, or a boat - will have to have a permit. State waters within 3 miles of shore aren't normally covered by federal rules. But the new regulation would apply to fishermen who might catch any species that travels between fresh and saltwater, such as striped bass, one of the most popular New England sportfish.
Although licensing fees will probably not be more than $25 a year, Northeast fishermen say they shouldn't have to pay for the pleasure of pursuing a beloved, centuries-old pastime. So deep-seated is the belief that recreational fishing in the ocean should be free, it's partly why attempts by Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut to require saltwater sportfishing licensing in recent years have failed.....
Federal officials estimate that the nation's more than 14 million saltwater sportfishermen catch 257 million pounds of fish a year - a minuscule amount compared with commercial fishing's 9.4 billion pounds - yet their proportion of the nation's total fishing catch is growing as commercial fishing becomes more restricted. While saltwater sportfishermen do have some restrictions on the size and number of fish they can catch, commercial fishermen have bitterly complained to fishing managers that sportfishermen face little enforcement and monitoring and could be catching more than they should....
What a bunch of greedy assholes!!
THEY are the reason the stocks are depleted, and they are complaining?
And they ALWAYS WANT MORE, MORE, MORE!!!
FUCK YOU!!!!!!!
The NOAA Fisheries Service wants states to do most of the work in issuing licenses and collecting money. As an incentive, states that do so will be able to keep the fees. Mary Griffin, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game commissioner, said the state is considering doing just that for the estimated 1.2 million people who saltwater fish here each year....
Well that will sure KILL TOURISM, won't it?
Just GO to ANOTHER STATE please, fisherman.
Just PLEASE STAY out of TAXACHUSETTS!!!!
Kevin Blinkoff, editor of the Falmouth-based fishing magazine On The Water said the new registration could result in more political clout for recreational saltwater fishermen because federal officials will have a better idea of not only what they catch, but probably how many people are fishing and what they are spending to do so....
Yup, gotta CRAWL UP YOUR ASS about EVERY FUCKING THING, don't they?
Well, here's a FISH FART for you, fascista's! Take a GOOD WHIFF!
Pffffffffffftttttttt!!!!!
Some states' proposals in the past had money going to the state's general fund.
Richard Generazio of Falmouth Bait and Tackle Co.:
"A lot of locals have been fishing since 1941, and now they have to pay for a license?"
Stephen Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, also expressed concern that people who need to fish to supply food for their families will not be able to pay any licensing fee:
"The way it stands right now we have no problem with it, but people are already grumbling about the money."
If I didn't know any better, I'd almost think they want us to starve.
Just another way of paying for the wars, right?
