DFG Meeting - A Newbie's Observations - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

dsafety · 10-20-2010, 06:57 PM

This was the first time I was able to make it to one of these events. In case anyone is interested, I will try to share some of my observations.

I hooked up with TMan, his son Clay and Clay's friend Julian at about 7:30AM. Martin, who is a veteran of many of these things really helped me get oriented. Thanks Martin, lets hit the water one of these days and you can continue your lesson.

My first impression when pulling into the parking lot was that it looked like we would be well represented. The Bloody Decks crowd looked to be about 100 strong. They were a scruffy looking bunch on average but nice guys all around.

I met quite a few kayak guys as well. It was nice to put faces to some names. Our group was less well represented but most who were there seemed to be well prepared and committed to the challenge at hand.

The speaker sign-up process took a lot longer than expected. When everyone who wanted to talk was signed up, there were over 700 speaker cards submitted, although many, including myself ceded time to others. My minute went to 10 year old Clay, the fishcatcher, who made a great presentation. Unfortunately, the commission decided that ceded time did not matter unless a speaker managed to bank cards from at least ten others. That would give you three minutes speaking time. Must be some kind of new math.

After a little housekeeping the speakers started to do their thing. The first dozen or so speakers were politicians or their surrogates who wanted to get their name in the public record as being on the job. One of the lamest of those was a ding-bat city council member from my town of Encinitas. It was a little embarrassing.

Being a newbie who wanted to learn what this was all about, I made a point of trying to listen to just about every speaker. They ran the gamut from lame to impressive. Some were entertaining in their absurdity. Others were spot on. Few offered much in the way of new information but there were some killers that brought thunderous applause from the crowd.

There were several presentations that stuck out for me. Earl Warren, (the other Earl Warren) with a clenched jaw and barely controlled anger let the Commissioners know that the cat was out of the bag with regard to the illegal methods that were used by the BRTF and others during the MLPA process up to this point. He suggested that if they wanted to end up on the right side of the pending lawsuits that they may want to think hard about rendering any decisions that have been purchased by special interests. (I may have editorialized a bit on that one).

Similarly Bob Fletcher, a former DFG board member announced to everyone that he had successfully sued to have the records from all the closed door BRTF meeting documents made public. Those records are likely to be the smoking gun that may get this thing sent back to the drawing board.

Some dedicated teachers from a couple middle schools arranged to have their students bussed in to show that massive support the MLPA has among the next generation. I am not sure that this plan worked as expected. When the kids found out that the were expected to sit quietly and learn something, most slowly drifted away. One enterprising kid made up a sign expressing his love for Diana and held up behind the speakers so the camera could document his affection for posterity. I was sitting next to Joe Nguyen at the time. We asked around to see if anyone had a spare condom we could pass on to this young lover in case he got lucky later on.

One of the most bizarre and entertaining speakers was a group of school girls with dioramas depicting all the endangered sea horses and starfish that the MLPA would protect as it saved the corral reefs. One by one the read what was undoubtedly a class assignment touting the reasons that California's coral reefs needed to be protected. The room was mostly polite to these kids but even the DFG guys were laughing quietly. The girls did a great job but the teacher who put them up to this should be flogged. Note to the teacher... the next time you enlist your students to help protect the environment, learn a bit about the environment you want to protect first.

Another entertaining speaker was the Save the Seals lady who almost started crying when her video would not play properly. She then displayed the biggest Salas lure I have ever seen asking the audience if anyone knew what it was. A bunch of guys shouted out that it was their lost lure and that they wanted it back. She really seemed clueless as to the purpose of the iron. I had visions of her experimenting with the device for an unintended purpose while locked behind a bathroom door.

During the first three or four hours, speakers supporting our point of view were roundly applauded. If the presentations had been judged like a debate, our side was the clear winner. Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that any of the commissioners were paying much attention.

At about 2:00, pizza, thanks to the Waterman's alliance, arrived. The crowd had thinned to half by then. I am sure that many of our guys had to get back to work. Those who stuck around until then seemed to drift away after their bellies were filled up. In the end, the crowd was mostly made up of the "Free the Gay Whales" crowd. For the last hour or so, the only message the Commissioners heard was theirs. Not that any of the Commissioners were actually listening.

So where does this leave us. I know I am a newbie when it comes to the political side of the MLPA fight but have a strong feeling that we are not going to lose this thing right now. We are not going to win either. My guess is that the courts will decide that what has gone on up to this point was illegal and that the results will be voided. The reset button will be pushed and we will start all over again.

This may buy us some time but it does not not mean that we will end up on the winning side. If we get a chance to reshape the MLPA I recommend that we push the regulation option rather than look at anything that involves absolute closures.

All in all today was a very educational experience for me. I now understand the frustration that those who put in their time over the last couple years feel.

Bob

10-20-2010, 06:57 PM	#1
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,121	DFG Meeting - A Newbie's Observations This was the first time I was able to make it to one of these events. In case anyone is interested, I will try to share some of my observations. I hooked up with TMan, his son Clay and Clay's friend Julian at about 7:30AM. Martin, who is a veteran of many of these things really helped me get oriented. Thanks Martin, lets hit the water one of these days and you can continue your lesson. My first impression when pulling into the parking lot was that it looked like we would be well represented. The Bloody Decks crowd looked to be about 100 strong. They were a scruffy looking bunch on average but nice guys all around. I met quite a few kayak guys as well. It was nice to put faces to some names. Our group was less well represented but most who were there seemed to be well prepared and committed to the challenge at hand. The speaker sign-up process took a lot longer than expected. When everyone who wanted to talk was signed up, there were over 700 speaker cards submitted, although many, including myself ceded time to others. My minute went to 10 year old Clay, the fishcatcher, who made a great presentation. Unfortunately, the commission decided that ceded time did not matter unless a speaker managed to bank cards from at least ten others. That would give you three minutes speaking time. Must be some kind of new math. After a little housekeeping the speakers started to do their thing. The first dozen or so speakers were politicians or their surrogates who wanted to get their name in the public record as being on the job. One of the lamest of those was a ding-bat city council member from my town of Encinitas. It was a little embarrassing. Being a newbie who wanted to learn what this was all about, I made a point of trying to listen to just about every speaker. They ran the gamut from lame to impressive. Some were entertaining in their absurdity. Others were spot on. Few offered much in the way of new information but there were some killers that brought thunderous applause from the crowd. There were several presentations that stuck out for me. Earl Warren, (the other Earl Warren) with a clenched jaw and barely controlled anger let the Commissioners know that the cat was out of the bag with regard to the illegal methods that were used by the BRTF and others during the MLPA process up to this point. He suggested that if they wanted to end up on the right side of the pending lawsuits that they may want to think hard about rendering any decisions that have been purchased by special interests. (I may have editorialized a bit on that one). Similarly Bob Fletcher, a former DFG board member announced to everyone that he had successfully sued to have the records from all the closed door BRTF meeting documents made public. Those records are likely to be the smoking gun that may get this thing sent back to the drawing board. Some dedicated teachers from a couple middle schools arranged to have their students bussed in to show that massive support the MLPA has among the next generation. I am not sure that this plan worked as expected. When the kids found out that the were expected to sit quietly and learn something, most slowly drifted away. One enterprising kid made up a sign expressing his love for Diana and held up behind the speakers so the camera could document his affection for posterity. I was sitting next to Joe Nguyen at the time. We asked around to see if anyone had a spare condom we could pass on to this young lover in case he got lucky later on. One of the most bizarre and entertaining speakers was a group of school girls with dioramas depicting all the endangered sea horses and starfish that the MLPA would protect as it saved the corral reefs. One by one the read what was undoubtedly a class assignment touting the reasons that California's coral reefs needed to be protected. The room was mostly polite to these kids but even the DFG guys were laughing quietly. The girls did a great job but the teacher who put them up to this should be flogged. Note to the teacher... the next time you enlist your students to help protect the environment, learn a bit about the environment you want to protect first. Another entertaining speaker was the Save the Seals lady who almost started crying when her video would not play properly. She then displayed the biggest Salas lure I have ever seen asking the audience if anyone knew what it was. A bunch of guys shouted out that it was their lost lure and that they wanted it back. She really seemed clueless as to the purpose of the iron. I had visions of her experimenting with the device for an unintended purpose while locked behind a bathroom door. During the first three or four hours, speakers supporting our point of view were roundly applauded. If the presentations had been judged like a debate, our side was the clear winner. Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that any of the commissioners were paying much attention. At about 2:00, pizza, thanks to the Waterman's alliance, arrived. The crowd had thinned to half by then. I am sure that many of our guys had to get back to work. Those who stuck around until then seemed to drift away after their bellies were filled up. In the end, the crowd was mostly made up of the "Free the Gay Whales" crowd. For the last hour or so, the only message the Commissioners heard was theirs. Not that any of the Commissioners were actually listening. So where does this leave us. I know I am a newbie when it comes to the political side of the MLPA fight but have a strong feeling that we are not going to lose this thing right now. We are not going to win either. My guess is that the courts will decide that what has gone on up to this point was illegal and that the results will be voided. The reset button will be pushed and we will start all over again. This may buy us some time but it does not not mean that we will end up on the winning side. If we get a chance to reshape the MLPA I recommend that we push the regulation option rather than look at anything that involves absolute closures. All in all today was a very educational experience for me. I now understand the frustration that those who put in their time over the last couple years feel. Bob Last edited by dsafety; 10-21-2010 at 09:20 AM.