Rossman and WarriorMike...here's a little reading material for you....
Let me know what days you guys want to volunteer for the CCA membership tent in Long Beach or Del Mar...LOL
The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) was founded by recreational anglers 38 years ago in Texas to battle for the sustainable health and responsible use of our coastal fisheries, and for recreational anglers’ interests in those resources. CCA members have been the driving force for bans on destructive commercial fishing gear and for the implementation of game fish status for important recreational species in a number of states. In the Northwest, for example, CCA Oregon and CCA Washington finalized the removal of gill nets from the main stem of the Columbia River and achieving the prioritization of recreational angling in those salmon fisheries. Nationally, CCA chapters have poured millions of dollars into local habitat projects – everything from abandoned crab trap clean-ups to marsh restoration to the creation of inshore and offshore artificial reefs. On a federal level, CCA’s Advocacy Fund has been used to defend net bans; fight for the implementation of bycatch reduction devices; support pro-fisheries legislation; and battle arbitrary no-fishing zones.
As a member-driven organization, CCA is unique in that its board and committee structure relies exclusively on its members to set the policy goals for their state chapter and to determine the strategies employed to fund and achieve those goals.
CCA is a national grassroots organization and is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the country with 18 coastal state chapters and more than 125,000 members. CCA provides its members with opportunities to participate in many phases of fisheries conservation and management. Our business model is designed to let state members set their state’s conservation agenda and address issues that are of great importance to coastal resources. Through the local banquet fundraising process, CCA members fuel their conservation program, ultimately improving the condition of local marine resources and expanding fishing opportunities in their state. Each CCA state chapter has significant autonomy on advocacy issues and relies on its volunteers to make the process work. It is a founding principle of CCA to seek grassroots involvement in the decision-making process. By the time CCA stakes a position on an issue, it has been thoroughly reviewed and researched by dozens of recreational anglers all intent upon achieving the same goal.
The Coastal Conservation Association California Chapter (CCA CAL) started in 2015 with a board of 25 dedicated individuals from the fishing industry and launched their membership drives at the Fred Hall Shows to replace United Anglers of Southern California (UASC). What happened to UASC is that it was forced to take on the impossible task of the California MLPA and ran into an insurmountable challenge with the environmental community. UASC did the right thing and stood up for the sportfishing community and put their name at the top of the lawsuit to try and overturn the MPAs. The cost of the suit was double what the attorneys originally said it would cost and while UASC and its partners raised enough money to pay for the expected cost, they could not find the funds to pay the additional amount and ran out of money.
Adding to the downfall was the fact that the last two executive directors caused very different but serious problems for the organization. The final overriding reason is that UASC simply ran out of energy and momentum as NCMC-PR did before them and as did another group before them.
“The creation of CCA California is an exciting endeavor for CCA. The fish are different, but the challenges facing them are often the same on all coasts – destructive commercial gear, degraded habitat and misguided management concepts.” stated Pat Murray, President CCA National. CCA National’s mission statement is: The objective of CCA is to conserve, promote and enhance the present and future availability of coastal resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public.
Since its creation, the Coastal Conservation Association of California (CCA CAL) has been working hard on building the correct infrastructure for success. “Our mission is: ”Conserving the resource and anglers’ access to it.” Our three main goals are to keep our fisheries open with pro-fisheries legislation and preventing arbitrary no-fishing zones, building artificial reefs, and increasing the finfish hatchery program.” stated Wayne Kotow, Executive Director, CCA CAL.
To accomplish these goals we have to have a strong membership base and that starts with building local chapters. The first two local chapters in Los Angeles and San Diego have been formed and we are not stopping there. CCA CAL is looking to form a chapter in Orange County and continue working up the coastline. “Anybody who wants to be part of a local chapter can contact me.” says Wayne. “Once the local chapter board is formed, we will be holding local membership meetings and moving forward with fundraising efforts.” Membership and fundraising are the lifeblood of the organization. The success of CCA is based upon a huge grassroots system.
But that is not all CCA CAL has done. CCA CAL joined with American Sportfishing Association (ASA) to show that banning traditional fishing tackle in California will have a negative impact on fishing participation, which generates millions of dollars for fisheries conservation in the state. The report, “Effects on the Ban on Traditional-Based Tackle for Fishing in California on Angler Participation and Associated Economic Measures,” was produced for ASA by Southwick Associates. By surveying anglers and manufactures, the report outlines the economic issues associated with requiring California anglers to switch to non-lead tackle, such as tungsten and tin. Lead is by far the most prevalent, economical and arguably the best performing option for terminal tackle.
Bill Shedd, Chairman of CCA CAL and President of AFTCO, said, “While California ranks fifth in the nation in number of anglers, we are dead last in terms of per capita participation. However, sportfishing is an important economic generator for our state, and banning lead tackle, as currently being considered by the State of California, is another burden that would increase the cost of fishing, hurt anglers and cost our economy millions of dollars in lost revenue and almost 2,600 jobs.”
Some of the key findings include:
A ban on lead fishing tackle would likely reduce angler activity in California, which would in turn negatively impact the recreational fishing industry and those whose livelihoods depend on it.
A survey of tackle manufacturers indicated that the price impact of producing lures, flies and terminal tackle with lead substitutes would double costs on average.
Only 25 percent of manufacturers surveyed indicated that it was even technically feasible to currently switch to non-lead substitutes.
If a lead ban were to cause prices to double for lures, flies and terminal tackle, the report says that approximately 5 percent of anglers would leave the sport or nearly 80,000 anglers.
The surveys used in the report also suggest that anglers who continue to fish, 18 percent would fish fewer days, each fishing 21 percent fewer days on average.
Combined with anglers leaving the sport, this would reduce total California angler days and expenditures in recreational fishing by two million fewer angler days, and $173 million in lost revenues.
The $173 million in recreational fishing revenues currently supports:
2,582 jobs
$113.6 million in salaries and wages
$24.2 million in state and local tax revenue
$26.4 million in federal tax revenues
Scott Gudes, ASA’s vice president for Government Affairs stated, “This report shows that, in addition to the direct economic losses to recreational fishing-dependent businesses, fish and wildlife conservation programs in California would suffer as prices for tackle increase and overall fishing expenditures suffer. Not many people realize that it is anglers who pay for California’s fishery conservation programs through fishing tackle excise taxes and license fees. A ban on lead tackle is not based on science. Anglers and conservation programs would be the losers.”
Shedd concluded, “Fishing our Pacific coastal waters from San Diego to the Oregon border is part of what makes this state great. It is part of our heritage. We need to start adopting angler-friendly policies in California and not start regulating what’s in an angler’s tackle box.”
In September 2015, CCA CAL published its position to the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) against the use of drift gill nets and any other destructive gear. Our goal is to reduce unnecessary bycatch that hurt the resources. At the September 2015 PFMC meeting in Sacramento, the Council set a goal of establishing 100% observer coverage on the drift gillnet fishery by 2018. They also put firm limits on the catch of nine species of marine mammals and turtles caught accidentally in drift gillnets, agreeing to shut down the fishery for the season if any one of these limits are reached. These are huge steps forward after a year of backsliding. The Council also decided to schedule a long discussion about the future of the swordfish fishery for the November 2015 PFMC meeting in Garden Grove. At that meeting, they will discuss plans for this fishery and potential alternative gear types…as well as a discussion about longlines.
“Momentum appears to be shifting back to our side, and that couldn’t have happened without input from the recreational angling community. Anglers were well represented at this meeting - IGFA member Bev Seltzer delivered incredibly compelling testimony, and IGFA Conservation Director Jason Schratwieser and CCA CAL Wayne Kotow were there in person to submit eloquent letters urging the PFMC to transition away from drift gillnets and keep longlines away from the California coast. I believe that Councilmembers were very moved by the input from anglers, who continue to be underrepresented in the management process.” stated Bob Kurz,
IGFA Representative - Southern California. “We are not stopping our efforts until we get PFMC to transition away from drift gillnets once and for all and reject the introduction of longlines off our coast.”
CCA CAL has a goal to enhance the habitat in the coastal California waters. We have partnered with California Ships-to-Reefs (CSTR) in their efforts to increase the hardscape off of our California coastline. CSTR has been very successful in finding ships and getting them sunk in strategic locations to create new habitat. Together we can increase the badly needed habitat in California. This is a win-win situation for both divers and fishermen. CSTR currently has 5 ships in various stages of being prepped for sinking in Los Angeles. CCA CAL and CSTR recently stripped and painted the 47’ ferro-cement hull sailboat called the Gypsea Lee “PINK” in honor of Breast Cancer Survivors. “CCA-CAL couldn’t be prouder to partner with CSTR to support two such great events, adding to our Artificial Reefs in California and honoring Breast Cancer Survivors”, stated Wayne Kotow, Executive Director - CCA CAL. CSTR was pleased to announce an event to rename its sailboat and honor breast cancer survivors. All breast cancer survivors were invited to attend to sign their names onto the hull of a sailboat CSTR and CCA CAL will be reefing in the San Diego Underwater Recreation Area. The boat is being renamed the “Nancy Lee” to honor one of CSTR’s members who is a survivor. CSTR just announced it has another ship donated for San Diego and is in the planning stages to get it prepped and ready to sink. None of this would be possible without the tremendous efforts of volunteers from both organizations.
Lastly, CCA CAL has provided the insurance for all of the white seabass grow out pens in the White Seabass Hatchery Enhancement Program. The Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP) is an experimental hatchery program investigating the feasibility of using cultured marine finfish to successfully enhance wild fish populations White seabass are spawned and reared at a hatchery in Carlsbad, which is owned and operated by Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute (HSWRI). The hatchery provides juvenile white seabass, 4 inches in length, to 13 grow-out facilities operated by volunteers throughout southern California. The fish are held at the grow-out facilities until they are ready for release, typically at around 8 to 10 inches in length. OREHP is one of the few stocking programs dedicated to assessing the biological and economic impacts of its releases, and it is the only program of its kind on the West Coast of North America. Through its responsible approach and extensive, self-imposed scientific review process, OREHP has established itself as a model for stocking programs worldwide. In addition, The UASC White Seabass Committee has been changed to the CCA CAL White Seabass Committee.
CCA CAL will be working with CDFW to get the next species authorized for release. This in itself is neither a simple nor quick process.
CCA CAL is working on all of our main goals simultaneously while also working on the grassroots efforts of local chapters and memberships. We cannot do this alone. Everyone needs to join and participate in our future if we are to be successful.
If you would like to join, please visit our website
www.ccacalifornia.org
Please like us on Facebook, Coastal Conservation Association of California.
If you would like to help, please contact Wayne at
wkotow@ccacalifornia.org .