Washington, DC – In an effort to keep Long Island’s recreational fishing and boating
industry open for business, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and
Congressman Tim Bishop today took action to stop the National Marine
Fisheries Services’ (NMFS) decision to close the recreational black sea
bass fishery. In a letter to James W. Balsieger, Ph.D.,
Acting-Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the NMFS, Senator
Gillibrand and Congressman Bishop outlined the stark economic impact
the closure would have on a large number of small businesses on Long
Island, and urged him to allow the black sea bass fishery to remain
open.
“The federal shutdown of black sea bass
harvesting from the Exclusive Economic Zone will have a tragic impact
on recreational fishermen and will have serious implications for Long
Island and communities all along the Atlantic coast,” Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Bishop said in the letter. “For Long Island’s recreational fishing industry,
this closure is another threat to their livelihood during the worst
economic conditions in decades. It is critical that we use the most
precise data collection, which includes industry data and other
descriptive data that can provide a more true indication of fishing
activity. In these difficult economic times, we must consider the
impact these decisions have on our fishing communities.”
Local Long Island fishermen are outraged by the decision.
Gene Young, President of New York Fishing Tackle Trade Association said, “This closure clearly shows how terribly mismanaged our fisheries
have been. To put a multi-million dollar industry out of business
virtually overnight, with no warning, is the ultimate indictment of our
broken fisheries management system, and is an insult to our coastal
communities.”
Capt. Dennis Kanyuk, President of United Boatmen of New York said, “I see this as a ‘shot across the bow’ to the entire fishing
community. If NMFS is allowed to get away with this outrage, I have no
doubt that they will adopt this strategy for any fishery they choose,
with no accountability to the public that ultimately owns the resource.”
Over
the last four years, Long Island recreational boats, charter boats and
tackle shops have lost upwards of 40 percent of their incomes. Closing
the black sea bass fishery would add an estimate of another 15 percent
to their losses – with New York’s party and charter boat industry
expecting to lose nearly $1 million in revenue across Long Island.
The full letter from Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Bishop is below:
Dear Dr. Balsiger,
I am writing to express my opposition to the National Marine Fisheries
Services’ (NMFS) decision to close the recreational black sea bass
fishery. This decision will result in a damaging cost to recreational
fishermen in New York.
The federal shutdown of black sea bass harvesting from the Exclusive
Economic Zone will have a tragic impact on recreational fishermen and
will have serious implications for Long Island and communities all
along the Atlantic coast. The Long Island recreational fishing
industry primarily targets bottom fish, such as Fluke, Porgy and Black
Sea Bass. This industry has been especially hard hit this year by the
early Fluke fishery closure, summer Porgy restrictions and now the
six-month Black Sea Bass fishery closure. In the last four years,
Long Island recreational boats, charter boats and tackle shops have
lost between 25 – 40 percent of their incomes. These figures do not
take into account those businesses bankrupted by the closures. This
new closure will saddle the industry with additional losses of
approximately 15 percent compared to last year, with the New York party
and charter boat community anticipating additional lost revenues of
nearly $1 million Island-wide as a direct result of the sea bass
closure.
The data from the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey
(MRFSS) that was used to make this decision has been criticized because
the MRFSS is designed to show trends over several years -not snap shots
on two month waves. For this reason, a report prepared in 2000 for
NMFS by the National Research Council strongly indicated that MRFSS
cannot be used for in-season management adjustments, stating: “attempts
to use MRFSS for in-season monitoring…have usually not been
successful,” and added “in-season management of most recreational
fisheries [using MRFSS] is presently not possible.” Despite this
advice from its own scientists, NMFS has nonetheless decided to close
the sea bass fishery on the basis of one wave of preliminary MRFSS data
from May and June of this year. Moreover, according to the most recent
Stock Assessment Update by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council,
released in July of this year, the biostock for black sea bass
surpassed the 2008 spawning goal. The assessment went on to say that
the stock is not overfished nor is experiencing overfishing. In short,
information exists that claim the stock is fully restored to historic
levels.
Furthermore,
in light of the fact that MRFSS data is not the most accurate way to
measure current catch levels, NMFS should pursue new assessments that
are more precise. This review should include industry data, as well as
other descriptive data that can provide an index of fishing activity.
Sustainable fisheries are critical not just to conservation interests,
but to our commercial and recreational fishermen as well. It is with
this in mind that we concentrate our conservation efforts on those
stocks that need protection for the future of this industry and not
those that are rebuilt. In doing so, we must also rely on the best data
available.
For
Long Island’s recreational fishing industry, this closure is another
threat to their livelihood during the worst economic conditions in
decades. It is critical that we use the most precise data collection,
which includes industry data and other descriptive data that can
provide a more true indication of fishing activity. In these difficult
economic times, we must consider the impact these decisions have on our
fishing communities.
Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. If you should
have any questions, please feel free to contact Kristen Walsh in my
Long Island Office at (631)-249-2825 or Jon Schneider at (631)696-6500.
Sincerely,
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
U.S. Senator
Timothy Bishop
U.S. Representative