new petition to save fishing rights

[so cal shaggy]

word from the The Preserve Fishing Coalition

First off, thank you very much for taking the time to fill out the Fix Magnuson Now petition, for recognizing how greatly the Act has been distorted by foundation funded activists, and for wanting to be a part of the effort to set things straight. Along with the rally in Washington on February 24, this is the most effective way we have of demonstrating to Congress, and the White House, that our federal fisheries policies are sadly off course and in need of a massive correction.

We are doing very well with the petition in the Northeast and Florida, but need to continue to get the word out, particularly on the West and Gulf Coasts and in the other Southeastern states. And we'd especially like to have more seafood sellers and restaurateurs represented. If you could tell your colleagues, friends, relatives or anyone with an interest in fishing who you deal with about this campaign and how important it is to the future of fishing in the US, it would help greatly.

The petition is at http://fs16.formsite.com/FixMagnusonNow/form793561462/.

The responses we've had are almost evenly split between recreational fishermen and folks whose jobs depend entirely or partly on fishing. It's great to be able to be a part of a national effort that is being positively received by recreational, commercial and party/charter fishermen and the businesses they support, and with enough of us on board, it's going to be a guarantee that the people in Washington will hear us.

While on the topic of Washington, if your Congressman or Congresswoman or your Senators aren’t co-sponsoring Senator Schumer’s or Congressman Pallone’s Flexibility bills, contact their offices and let them now how important their signing on is to you and their other fishing and fishing dependent constituents.

As President Obama indicated so clearly last night, it's all about jobs, and to a large extent that's what this campaign is all about. But it's also about people having the freedom to fish and fisheries managers having the freedom to manage without the overly restrictive controls that have been bought and paid for by the so-called fisheries conservationists.

Thanks again,
Nils Stolpe
The Preserve Fishing Coalition