Some Accomplishments
By joining the FKCFA you can qualify for group rate insurance for both your vessel and crew.
We put over $450,000. in the pockets of FKCFA members in 2006 as part of a FEMA-Monroe County trap cleanup.
We worked with OFF (Organized Fishermen of Florida) to get all 2006 trap fees waived at a savings of $1,200,000. to the industry.
We managed a $500,000. grant from the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund to give fishermen $1,040. and $2,080. grants to rebuild their traps during the summer of 2006.
We promote the local industry at Goombay and Fantasy Fest and our very own Florida Keys Seafood Festival in Key West in January, serving only fresh local seafood.
We started a scholarship program to help fishermen's children further their education.
We stopped two scheduled 10% reductions in trap certificates in the 1990's.
We convinced the State to replace the active reductions with a passive reduction and later to temporarily stop all lobster trap reductions.
We got within family transfews exempt from the passive reduction system on lobster certificates and a waiver of surcharge fees for transfews within the family.
We convinced the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to help those who take multiple day lobster trips to retain useful tailing permits.
We helped to convince the FWC to have a more flexible stone crab certification program by only reducing certificates passively.
We are working on establishing an apprenticeship program that qualifies deckhands to buy traps at a reduced transfer fee.
We got $4,800,000. in disaster aid to help fishermen recover from (1998's) hurricanes Georges and Mitch by working with the Governors office, our Congressional delegation, as well as many local elected officials.
We convinced the South Atlantic Fishery Council to return 128 snapper/grouper permits to Keys commercial fishermen and to allow snapper/grouper permit transfers to larger vessels.
We got the Dolphin/Wahoo Management Plan to increase the percentage share to commercial fishermen and to have the size limit consistent across user groups.
We have had representation on one of the two federal management councils for the past 10 years. Our former president now helps us on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council where he chairs the lobster committee.
We worked to preserve the hook and line fishery for king mackerel in the Keys during the implementation of Amendment 9 of the King Mackerel Fishery Management Plan.
We worked with law enforcement to ensure that the gillnet fishery for king mackerel worked smoothly.
We convinced NOAA Fisheries to not list local gear as having major impacts on marine mammals.