Conflict of interest,corruption documented in MLPA implementation - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

j mo · 03-10-2010, 07:06 AM

Shocking right??? Not sure if you all caught this (no pun intended) article in Outdoor News....

http://www.outdoornewsservice.com/od...s/current.html

March 4, 2010
News Update
Conflict of interest,
corruption documented
in MLPA implementation

By JIM MATTHEWS
Outdoor News Service

ONTARIO -- The first wave of hard evidence documenting the corruption and conflict of interest that has guided the implementation of the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act surfaced at the meeting of the California Fish and Game Commission at the Double Tree Inn adjacent to Ontario International Airport on Wednesday.
The Commission accepted public testimony again on the so-called Blue Ribbon Task Force’s recommended ocean fishing closures and protected areas along the Southern California coast before adopting a final plan later this year. During this testimony documentation was provided that proved that two members of the Blue Ribbon Task Force, Bill Anderson and Greg Schem, lied to the Commission at a recent meeting about having a business association, and Bob Fletcher, former president of the Sportfishing Association of California who has been involved in the entire MLPA process, said there was evidence that both members agreed “to sign off on everything else” in return for other members of the task force agreeing to not put a reserve on the Rocky Point area between Redondo Beach and Long Beach where both had marinas and business interests.
Fletcher and others at Wednesday’s meeting say this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sportfishing groups are gathering evidence on three other issues that have plagued the process.
First, Michael Sutton, a member of the Fish and Game Commission and a key support of vast closures, has been charged with conflict of interest and repeatedly asked to recuse himself on all MLPA issues. Sutton works for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which stands to benefit financially from Department of Fish and Game funding to help implement and monitor marine protected areas. But when a complaint was filed with the state Fair Political Practices Commission last year, it wasn’t investigated. Sportfishing groups are looking into tampering with the issue from the governor’s office.
In an incredible case of irony, Sutton is also on the FGC’s Marine Resources Subcommittee with Commissioner Richard Rogers, and Sutton recused himself recently when the issue was collection permits because his employer, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has a vested interest in the collection permits.
Second, there is growing evidence that former Fish and Game Commissioner Cindy Gustafson, was asked to resign when she, along with two other Commissioners, questioned the science involved in some of the proposed MLPA recommendations. She was replaced by Don Benninghoven solely because of Benninghoven’s support of the most restrictive MLPA designations, giving the closure supporters a 3-2 majority on the Commission. Benninghoven came to the Commission after a two-year stint on the Blue Ribbon Task Force.
Third, at least 12 of the members of the MLPA science advisory team are fully or partially financed by grants from the Packard Foundation and Ocean Protection Council, both which have been outspoken proponents of the MLPA process’ most restrictive protections, including vast areas closed to all fishing. This is a massive conflict of interest that has led to egregious recommendations. For example, the science advisory committee refused to consider catch-and-release sport angling and sport take restrictions as a management option that was less damaging to the marine environment than unrestricted commercial fishing. A catch-and-release angler fishing barbless jigs for calico bass was the same as a commercial gill net in the eyes of the majority of the science advisory team.
“They’re all pro closures. Of course they are, that’s the way they’re making their dough,” said one sportfishing industry representative.
Sportfishing interests have said the whole public process was a sham after the Blue Ribbon Task Force essentially ignored the proposals from the three volunteer study groups who labored for 18 months before forwarding their own recommendations to the Fish and Game Commission, which was a breach of what the volunteers had been assured would happen at the outset.
The Blue Ribbon Task Force has also refused to take into consideration the state’s economy and budget, and how closures will affect business and recreation in the region. Its members repeatedly exhibited a cavalier attitude toward the very real economic impacts.
Fletcher said it was likely, with the state’s budget crisis, there won’t be funding to finance the MLPA. Last year, the legislative budget office stripped all funding of the MLPA implementation out of the Department of Fish and Game’s budget, but its funding was continued by from the governor’s office by backfilling with Proposition 84 funding. This year, the budget office is again likely to recommend that funding be stopped -- and that Prop. 84 are not used again.
“The whole process is rife with conflict of interest,” said Fletcher. “It has been hijacked.”

Jimmyz123 · 03-10-2010, 08:18 AM

Now maybe some eyes will get opened in the legal arena and our elected leaders will step up and pull the plug on the entire thing. I honestly think this thing is going to die and nothing will come of it. There are too many conflicts of interest that stand to benefit many who are trying to close those areas.

blitzburgh · 03-10-2010, 08:32 AM

Typical political whores.

robmandel · 03-10-2010, 09:15 AM

wow, that's news to me

:bigg rinjester:

PAL · 03-10-2010, 11:39 AM

Tip of the iceberg. The BRTF also engaged in secret meetings and deal-making outside the public eye in violation of their MOU and stated policy. The MLPAI actively manipulated the RSG to create cover for a predetermined outcome. The SAT is rife with conflicts of interest tied to grant money and a promise of more to come, and continually moved the goal posts to generate their desired political outcome.

The question is, what are you going to do about it? Let your local legislators know you've had it with government corruption. If they let this pass, like the gang of three on the Commission they are aiding and abetting dirty politics.

Billy V · 03-10-2010, 12:46 PM

I recommend - "Stoning to Death"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmQrGwNR6sg

dsafety · 03-10-2010, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAL

The question is, what are you going to do about it? Let your local legislators know you've had it with government corruption. If they let this pass, like the gang of three on the Commission they are aiding and abetting dirty politics.

Paul, you just gave me a great idea. Here is a job for some of us to take on. Lets see if we can get an "on the record" position on this issue from all of our elected officials. I know that the Assembly guy for my district 38, Martin Garrick claims to support our point of view. I do not know the position of Mark Wyland, in the 74th Senate district but will try to find out.

Since we are going to have a new Governor next year, maybe we should see what the main contenders have to say. Gerry Brown will probably side with the enviros but who knows. Meg Whitten will likely stick her finger in the wind to see which way it is blowing and then take credit for the idea. Either way, it would probably be a good idea to know in advance where these folks stand.

I will see what kind of a response I can get from Brown and Whitten. If you would like to get involved and solicite a response from your local elected officials, please reply to this post with the names of the folks you intend to contact. You can easily find the contact info for all your state representatives here.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

Watch this space for more on this subject.

Bob

03-10-2010, 07:06 AM	#1
j mo Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Encinitas Posts: 600	Conflict of interest,corruption documented in MLPA implementation Shocking right??? Not sure if you all caught this (no pun intended) article in Outdoor News.... http://www.outdoornewsservice.com/od...s/current.html March 4, 2010 News Update Conflict of interest, corruption documented in MLPA implementation By JIM MATTHEWS Outdoor News Service ONTARIO -- The first wave of hard evidence documenting the corruption and conflict of interest that has guided the implementation of the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act surfaced at the meeting of the California Fish and Game Commission at the Double Tree Inn adjacent to Ontario International Airport on Wednesday. The Commission accepted public testimony again on the so-called Blue Ribbon Task Force’s recommended ocean fishing closures and protected areas along the Southern California coast before adopting a final plan later this year. During this testimony documentation was provided that proved that two members of the Blue Ribbon Task Force, Bill Anderson and Greg Schem, lied to the Commission at a recent meeting about having a business association, and Bob Fletcher, former president of the Sportfishing Association of California who has been involved in the entire MLPA process, said there was evidence that both members agreed “to sign off on everything else” in return for other members of the task force agreeing to not put a reserve on the Rocky Point area between Redondo Beach and Long Beach where both had marinas and business interests. Fletcher and others at Wednesday’s meeting say this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sportfishing groups are gathering evidence on three other issues that have plagued the process. First, Michael Sutton, a member of the Fish and Game Commission and a key support of vast closures, has been charged with conflict of interest and repeatedly asked to recuse himself on all MLPA issues. Sutton works for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which stands to benefit financially from Department of Fish and Game funding to help implement and monitor marine protected areas. But when a complaint was filed with the state Fair Political Practices Commission last year, it wasn’t investigated. Sportfishing groups are looking into tampering with the issue from the governor’s office. In an incredible case of irony, Sutton is also on the FGC’s Marine Resources Subcommittee with Commissioner Richard Rogers, and Sutton recused himself recently when the issue was collection permits because his employer, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has a vested interest in the collection permits. Second, there is growing evidence that former Fish and Game Commissioner Cindy Gustafson, was asked to resign when she, along with two other Commissioners, questioned the science involved in some of the proposed MLPA recommendations. She was replaced by Don Benninghoven solely because of Benninghoven’s support of the most restrictive MLPA designations, giving the closure supporters a 3-2 majority on the Commission. Benninghoven came to the Commission after a two-year stint on the Blue Ribbon Task Force. Third, at least 12 of the members of the MLPA science advisory team are fully or partially financed by grants from the Packard Foundation and Ocean Protection Council, both which have been outspoken proponents of the MLPA process’ most restrictive protections, including vast areas closed to all fishing. This is a massive conflict of interest that has led to egregious recommendations. For example, the science advisory committee refused to consider catch-and-release sport angling and sport take restrictions as a management option that was less damaging to the marine environment than unrestricted commercial fishing. A catch-and-release angler fishing barbless jigs for calico bass was the same as a commercial gill net in the eyes of the majority of the science advisory team. “They’re all pro closures. Of course they are, that’s the way they’re making their dough,” said one sportfishing industry representative. Sportfishing interests have said the whole public process was a sham after the Blue Ribbon Task Force essentially ignored the proposals from the three volunteer study groups who labored for 18 months before forwarding their own recommendations to the Fish and Game Commission, which was a breach of what the volunteers had been assured would happen at the outset. The Blue Ribbon Task Force has also refused to take into consideration the state’s economy and budget, and how closures will affect business and recreation in the region. Its members repeatedly exhibited a cavalier attitude toward the very real economic impacts. Fletcher said it was likely, with the state’s budget crisis, there won’t be funding to finance the MLPA. Last year, the legislative budget office stripped all funding of the MLPA implementation out of the Department of Fish and Game’s budget, but its funding was continued by from the governor’s office by backfilling with Proposition 84 funding. This year, the budget office is again likely to recommend that funding be stopped -- and that Prop. 84 are not used again. “The whole process is rife with conflict of interest,” said Fletcher. “It has been hijacked.”

03-10-2010, 08:18 AM	#2
Jimmyz123 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,385	Now maybe some eyes will get opened in the legal arena and our elected leaders will step up and pull the plug on the entire thing. I honestly think this thing is going to die and nothing will come of it. There are too many conflicts of interest that stand to benefit many who are trying to close those areas.

03-10-2010, 08:32 AM	#3
blitzburgh Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Menifee Posts: 2,509	Typical political whores.

03-10-2010, 09:15 AM	#4
robmandel Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 186	wow, that's news to me :bigg rinjester:

03-10-2010, 11:39 AM	#5
PAL Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 754	Tip of the iceberg. The BRTF also engaged in secret meetings and deal-making outside the public eye in violation of their MOU and stated policy. The MLPAI actively manipulated the RSG to create cover for a predetermined outcome. The SAT is rife with conflicts of interest tied to grant money and a promise of more to come, and continually moved the goal posts to generate their desired political outcome. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Let your local legislators know you've had it with government corruption. If they let this pass, like the gang of three on the Commission they are aiding and abetting dirty politics.

03-10-2010, 12:46 PM	#6
Billy V Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bay Ho Posts: 1,382	I recommend - "Stoning to Death" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmQrGwNR6sg