Thank you to John Sanchez, Bill Kelly, Gary Graves and Jeff Cramers for taking the time to go to Washington DC to stand up for the fishermen of the Florida Keys.

First off, thank you very much for signing the Fix Magnuson Now petition. You are in the company of over 4,700 other fishermen and folks who work in fishing-dependent businesses who also signed. If you were with us in Washington, thanks as well. The estimated 4,000 to 5,000 of us that were there made a serious impression on Capitol Hill, with the media, and with the anti-fishing movement as well. It was the largest group of fishermen united behind a single cause that anyone we've been dealing with had ever seen.
The United We Fish website (http://unitedwefish.com/) has links to some of the media coverage of the rally. Among the best is the spot that the World Fishing Network did (http://www.wfn.tv/news/video.php?video=402773), but all of the coverage was favorable.

I did a column, Fishermen Find Their Voice, for my regular series Another Perspective. In it I address the reaction of the new National Marine Fisheries Service head, Eric Schwaab, to the rally. The column is available at http://www.fishnet-usa.com/Rally_2010.pdf.

At this point The rally/petition organizers are determining on what our strategy will be for going forward. Most obviously, we will be continuing to support Congressman Pallone's and Senator Schumer;s flexibility legislation. This is our foundation, but it isn't our ultimate goal. While we haven't yet finalized our plans, be assured that we will be continuing and expanding the campaign, and we're going to be depending on you and on the folks that you enlist to keep the ball rolling.

You can check on the United We Fish website (url above), the Recreational Fishing Alliance website (http://www.joinrfa.org/) or the Fix Magnuson Now blog (http://www.fixmagnusonnow.blogspot.com/) to stay up to date on our progress. We will be sending regular email updates as well.

For anyone who wishes to be added to this list, have them send an email to nilsstolpe@fishnet-usa.com with "Subscribe" in the subject line. To have your email address removed from the list, reply to this message with "Remove" in the subject line.

Again, thank you very much for your participation. With you, your friends, your associates and with people in fishing dependent businesses who you contact, we will get the job done.

Keep on fishing,
Nils Stolpe

Remarks by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

IN SUPPORT OF GREATER REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY

FOR FLORIDA FISHERMEN

   Mr. Speaker, this week I met with commercial and recreational fishermen from my Congressional district of the Florida Keys. These hardworking men and women have taken time out of their busy season to travel up here to Washington, D.C., to protest the latest round of onerous and unfair Federal fishing regulations and closures.

   Florida's recreational fishing industry is the largest in the Nation. It's economic impact to our State exceeds $5.3 billion, and more than 54,000 jobs are generated by this industry. Similarly, Florida's commercial fishing industry is nearly 13,000 strong and contributes a staggering $1.2 billion to our economy.

   Our fishermen understand that maintaining a robust, healthy fishery through appropriate regulation is the key to their economic success. However, the recent fishing bans on red snapper and shallow water grouper enacted by the South Atlantic Fisheries Council are devastating to our Florida fishing industry. The bans not only threaten the jobs of recreational and commercial fishermen, but also the small business owners that support and economically benefit from these industries.

   Local restaurants will look to carry more cost-affordable fish from countries such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic, as opposed to featuring fresh, Florida-caught fish, crab, and lobster. Hotels, dive shops, and other tourist attractions will also continue to suffer as fishing enthusiasts decide to travel elsewhere.

   The impact of this multibillion dollar industry on the State of Florida cannot be overstated. And yet, one by one, these fishermen are being regulated out of business.

   I'm a cosponsor of a bill known as the Transparency in Job Loss from Fishery Closures Act, and this is a bill introduced by my colleague, Congressman Henry Brown. This bipartisan bill instructs NOAA to reverse the harmful fishing closures and calls for stricter policies before implementing further closings.

   In particular, this bill requires that NOAA conduct a comprehensive review of recent fishery closures and provides sufficient updated research showing that a closure is the only option to maintain the fishery. In this review, NOAA must consider the impact of each closure on the coastal communities being regulated, including the impact on their small businesses and the losses of the jobs that would entail these closures.

   I also support efforts to increase fisheries research to improve enforcement systems and to reform the flawed Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act.

   I'm a cosponsor of a bill introduced by Congressman Frank Pallone, which would amend Magnuson to provide greater flexibility to State regulators and fishery managers.

   The process of collecting data utilized by Federal regulators in determining fishing closures also needs to be revisited.

   The Scientific and Statistics Committees need to conduct their business in an open, transparent forum that also considers input from the fishing industry. What a concept. Opening up this committee to stakeholders' feedback and congressional oversight will go a long way in repairing the trust between regulators and local fishermen.

   In this stagnant economy, Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that we do all that we can to protect a historic and much needed industry from economic disaster. Our Nation's fishermen deserve and require our immediate action.