March 14th Herring Meeting in Gloucester

[jshields52]

I think one would be hard-pressed to find someone who doubts the efficacy of the midwater ban that the fine folks at CHOIR worked to have put into place a few years ago. While it is clear that the baitfish stocks have improved there is still much room for improvement, especially in light of what was going down off of Rhode Island recently. There is a public comment meeting at the DMF in Gloucester on Wednesday the 14 in Gloucester from 7-9pm. I think if you care about the ocean you should show up and voice your support. I'm far from an expert on the subject so I defer to those that are at CHOIR http://www.choircoalition.org/media/detail.php?id=201 and encourage people to like them on the faceyspace. It's important that there's a good showing at this event.

[ajcaturano]

What happened in RI?

[tcastric]

I will be there

[reeledgy]

What happened in RI?

http://www.thehulltruth.com/northeast/3 ... -here.html

[Codfisher]

In a nutshell they took 55 MILLION Pounds of herring from RI state waters in a very short period of time earlier this year. I understand it cost all of $200 for each boat to buy a permit....not a bad return for the investment I guess
There were also rumors of GBFT being hauled in as well but that those allegations have yet to be proven.

Here is another THREAD that discusses the issue.

[twofinbluna]

These hearings are VERY important so please show up, guys. We worked extremely hard to get the amendment to this point and now we need all of your support. The Council will no do anything if people do not show up and give them a reason to. Everyone of you knows how bad these "midwater" trawlers are and so there is no excuse not to show up- especially with all the different hearings scheduled along the coast. We had a great turnout up in Rockland, ME, this friday but we need even better turnouts from here on out.

Starts with Gloucester on the 14th and then Porstmouth the 15th!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Gloucester, MA
7:00 – 9:00 pm
MA DMF Annisquam River Station
30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930
Phone: (978) 282-0308

Thursday, March 15, 2012
Portsmouth, NH
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Sheraton Harborside Hotel
250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603) 431-2300

Monday, March 19, 2012
Fairhaven, MA
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Seaport Inn
110 Middle Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719
Phone: (508) 997-1281

Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Portland, Maine
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Holiday Inn By the Bay
88 Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101
Phone: (207) 775-2311

Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Plymouth, Massachusetts
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor
180 Water Street, Plymouth MA 02360
Phone: (508) 747-4900

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Warwick, RI
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Hilton Garden Inn
One Thurber Street, Warwick, RI 02886
Phone: (401) 734-9600

Thursday, March 29, 2012
Cape May, New Jersey
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Congress Hall Hotel
251 Beach Avenue, Cape May, NJ 08204
Phone: (609) 884-8421

[jshields52]

I want to give this thread a bump. Hopefully people will see this before bed tonight or first thing tomorrow morning. The Gloucester meeting is wednesday night and it is critical that we get a good showing at our local hearing. I can't articulate just how important this issue is to our fishery, and as someone who spends a lot of time on the ocean I am extremely passionate about the battle to restore adequate forage. If you care about your fishery you should make an effort to attend as this is the single most important factor in creating a fishery with long term viability. I sincerely hope that all who read this care enough about our fishery to be at this hearing.

[jshields52]

Links to Friday's Federal ruling that NOAA hasn't done enough to protect herring. All attending the meeting tonight should study this.

http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/f ... cision.pdf

http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2012 ... g-and-shad

[twofinbluna]

Great turnout tonight! I stopped counting at 50. Great comments by Jay, Nat and others. Nice work, guys!

Hope to see another great turnout tomorrow night (thursday) at 7pm at the Sheraton Harboside in Portsmouth.

[tcastric]

A great turnout for sure. I really appreciate both Nat and Jay speaking up on our behalf.

I hope the rest of the meetings have a similar showing.