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Offshore Invitational Tournament |
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September 7, 2002 |
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1st Place |
2nd Place |
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Tuna |
$1,000 & Trophy |
$350 |
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Dolphin |
$1,000 & Trophy |
$350 |
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Wahoo |
$1,000 & Trophy |
$350 |
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King Mackerel |
$1,000 & Trophy |
$350 |
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Tag & Release Billfish |
Trophy |
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* Based on 15 boats entered |
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Captains’ Meeting 6:00 P.M. Friday, Sept. 6 |
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Contact Sam Smith 850-651-9702 or irieii@aol.com |
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Press Release
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FOR MORE INFORMATION |
| April 9, 2002 | Ted Forsgren (850) 224-3474 |
CCA FLORIDA BLASTS FEDERAL AGENCY PROPOSAL TO PROHIBIT RECREATIONAL HARVEST OF GAG GROUPER FOR FOUR MONTHS
CCA Florida is urging all Gulf Coast anglers to actively oppose the Gulf of Mexico
Federal Fishery Management Council's proposal to close the recreational gag grouper
fishery for four months. "We simply can not believe that the Council has added a huge
recreational closure on gag grouper as part of the red grouper restoration plan,"
said CCA Florida Executive Director Ted Forsgren. "In past Gulf Council actions on
gag grouper the commercial fishers got the mine and the recreational fishers have clearly
gotten the shaft. This new proposal is more of the same."
A CCA Florida analysis of Gulf grouper landings before and after federal regulations
clearly indicates that the Council's past actions toward recreational fishermen in gag
grouper management have been horribly inequitable. The cumulative impact of 11 years of
Gulf Council gag grouper regulations have caused the annual recreational landings, after
federal regulations, to be reduced by an average of 42%. Commercial landings have not been
reduced at all. In fact, after enacting federal regulations, average annual commercial
landings have increased by 18%.
"Considering the huge inequity which has already been imposed upon the
recreational fishery, the Gulf Council's "preferred option" to further reduce
recreational gag landings with a major four month closure is simply unbelievable,"
said Dr. Ernie Hendry, CCA Florida Chairman.
As part of a mandatory effort to stop overfishing and restore depleted red grouper
stocks in the Gulf, the Council is proposing regulations to reduce both commercial and
recreational take of red grouper by 45%. For the commercial side, the Council is proposing
to prohibit longlining in waters less than 50 fathoms deep. For the recreational side, the
Council recently selected a four month closure (August - November) on red and gag grouper
as their "preferred" alternative.
"There is simply no legitimate reason to impose any additional gag grouper
restrictions on recreational fishermen," said Forsgren. "The damage to red
grouper stocks has been caused by the fleet of commercial longline boats."
CCA Florida further noted that:
- Gulf gag grouper stocks are not overfished.
- It is completely inappropriate to close gag grouper, a major recreational fishery, to address a suggested release mortality issue in the red grouper recreational fishery which is only a minor component of the overfishing problem in red grouper. In recent years, 87% of the red grouper landings were commercial, only 13% were recreational.
- Release mortality from recreational fishers is already factored into the red and gag grouper management measures. Furthermore, unlike commercial longlining, the overwhelming majority of recreational grouper fishing occurs in water less than 80 feet deep where release mortality is low.
- The Gulf red grouper stocks have been hammered into an overfished condition by the commercial longline fleet, not by recreational fishermen catching gag grouper.
"The Gulf Council needs to focus on the real problem in the red grouper fishery,
the commercial longline fleet," said CCA's Forsgren. "After the overwhelming
bias shown by past council actions, throwing in a four month gag closure as part of the
red grouper recovery plan is simply a punitive action against Florida's recreational
fishers. We intend to fight it every step of the way."
CCA Florida urges all concerned recreational fishers to contact the Gulf Council and oppose the four month gag grouper closure on recreational fishers.
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Phone (813) 228-2815
Fax (813) 225-7015
Email - gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org
NOTE: For a copy of the CCA Florida analysis of Gulf grouper landings before and after
federal regulations contact Ted Forsgren @ (850) 224-3474 or info@cca-florida.com.
Restaurants purchasing illegal seafood
now face MAJOR VIOLATION statutes.
E-mailed from Jim Roberson
25 Mar 02
HB 1243 by Joe Pickens passed the Florida legislture
unanimously and now makes selling seafood through the backdoor or restaurants from
unlicensed sellers a MAJOR VIOLATION with fines for buyers and sellers for first offense
of up to $2500 and second violation up to $5000.
The law has always applied to wholesale and retail dealers as legitimate commercial
fishermen must have a Seafood Products License, a Restricted Species endorsement in most
cases a federal permit in order to sell fish caught in federal waters.
Be on the lookout and obey the law because the FWC has undercover agents throughout the
state trying to catch offending anglers, fishermen, restaurants and wholesale and retail
facilities.
Bear in mind that NO SEAFOOD should be served to the public that has not been processed
under a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) processing plan and other
applicable laws.
Backdoor sales to restaurants is not just a tax scam but is a seafood safety issue that
impacts all legitimate seafood dealers and honest restaureteurs.
BUYING SALTWATER PRODUCTS; UNLICENSED SELLERS; ILLEGALLY HARVESTED PRODUCTS FROM
UNLICENSED SELLER.--In addition to being subject to other penalties authorized provided in
this chapter, any violation of s. 370.06 or s.370.07, or rules of the commission
implementing s. 370.06 or s. 370.07, involving the purchase of saltwater products by a
commercial wholesale dealer, retail dealer, or restaurant facility, for public consumption
from an unlicensed person, firm, or corporation, or the sale of saltwater products by an
unlicensed person, firm, or corporation or the purchase or sale of any saltwater product
known to be taken in violation of s. 16, Art. X of the State Constitution, or rule or
statute implementing the provisions thereof, by a commercial whole dealer or restaurant
facility, for public consumption, is shall be a major violation, and the commission may
assess the following penalties:
For a first violation, the commission may assess a
civil penalty of up to $2,500 and may suspend the wholesale or retail dealer's license
privileges for up to 90 calendar days.
For a second violation occurring within 12 months of a
prior violation, the commission may assess a civil penalty of up to $5,000 and may suspend
the wholesale or retail dealer's license privileges for up to 180 calendar days.
For a third or subsequent violation occurring within a
24-month period, the commission shall assess a civil penalty of $5,000 and shall suspend
the wholesale or retail dealer's license privileges for up to 24 months.
In a Special meeting
tonight (14 Jan 2002) the board of directors voted to keep the original website
http://www.fwbsailfishclub.org as the official sailfish club website. This site http://www.fwbsc.com continues to be the unofficial one.
Deja View
Ft. Walton Beach Sailfish Club 2001
Annual Offshore Tournament Invitational
September 8th, 2001
| 1st Place | 2nd Place |
| Tuna $1000 | Tuna $300 |
| Dolphin $1000 | Dolphin $300 |
| Wahoo $1000 | Wahoo $300 |
Tag and Release Billfish: plaque
(Based on 20 boats with 4 anglers per boat)
$60 entry fee per angler.
Boats over 27 feet must have 4 anglers and boats under 27 feet can have just 3 anglers.
Separate Cash Awards available.
Captains meeting 5pm Sept.7th .
Awards Dinner 5pm Sept. 9th. (even if
fishing postponed)
Contact Jason Marquardt at 850-678-6827 or jajomarq@emcst.com
Weigh-In HarborWalk Marina until 7:00pm
Sign up with Jason
We want a lot of participation for this funament.
The Rules will be posted at the club and you must Pay me $10 per angler to participate in
the cash awards for the largest king and the largest Tarpon. Weigh in at Harborwalk Marina
until 7pm Saturday.
We are allowing treble hooks for the Kings for this funament only. Those fish caught with
trebles will count for the funament but not for the club tournament.
Tarpon weights are calculated by measuring the girth and the length. You can fish in
Appalachicola for Tarpon if you wish.
Weigh-In HarborWalk Marina until 7:00pm
Club rules apply - Top prize each
Cash award requires $10 per angler fee
See Jason
Weigh-In HarborWalk Marina 2pm - 4:30pm
Club rules apply
$10 per angler
1st & 2nd place Cash Awards
See Jason
CCA Emerald Coast Chapter
08 Feb 2001
Offshore Invitational Tournament
Rescheduled 21 Oct 00 The club’s offshore invitational tournament is off and running. The highlight of competition for the year will take place Sept 9th. All club members are encouraged to participate and to invite non-members to participate. Information and rules are as follows:Species: Tuna, Wahoo, Dolphin, and T&R Billfish
Prizes: $200 to largest fish of each species, trophy for T&R Billfish champ. Optional Cash Awards available.
Captains’ Meeting: 6:00pm Friday Sept. 8th at the FWB Sailfish Club’s clubhouse. Attendance required by at least one representative from each boat.
Lines in: Sunrise Sept. 9th. Boats may leave from Destin Pass, Panama City, or Pensacola after Captains meeting.
Awards Cookout: Sunday Sept. 10th at Clubhouse
Cocktail hour at 4:30 Dinner at 5:30.
Entry Fee: $150.00 per boat. Unlimited number of anglers per boat. Entry fee includes 4 meal tickets for the awards cookout.
Weigh-in: Harborwalk Marina in Destin 4-7.
Tarpon Funament 12-13 Aug 2000
Appalachicola, Fl - Best Western 1-800-528-1234, Reserve room Friday night 11th and 12th - Fish Saturday and Sunday - $63 single, $69 double. Enter funament for free or optional $10 cash award.
King Mackerel Funament 8 July 2000 - Sign-up with Jason
The Board of Directors meeting scheduled for 3 Jul 2000 was changed to 26 Jun 2000. There was NO Quorum so the meeting was postponed to 10 Jul 2000
OFFSHORE FUNAMENT 10 JUN 2000
CANCELED - POSTPONED
Weigh-in: Harborwalk Marina until 7pm
Lines in: Daylight Saturday
Species: Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, Kings and Bill Fish Tag and Release
Entry Fee: Free
Prize: Plaque for top tag and release billfish
Rules: Club rules apply
Who: Club members or prospective club members
Calcutta:
$40 per boat for all 4: Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo and Kings or
$30 per boat for Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo only or
$10 per boat for Kings Only
Largest fish of each species wins money
Sign-up BY Saturday - Jason
For you guys who do not have Differential GPS
Good news.
Effective at Midnight (GMT) on May 1, 2000, the Selective Availability (SA)
degradation feature of the Global Positioning System was discontinued. The result is that
the position and velocity information provided by GPS receivers is now up to 10 times more
accurate than before the discontinuation of SA. No adjustments or upgrades to GPS
receivers are required to take advantage of the improved accuracy.
Selective Availability (SA) is the deliberate introduction of error to the precise
time-keeping of the GPS satellites, thereby reducing both positioning and timing accuracy
for civilian users. It was designed to provide US and Allied military forces with a
navigational advantage in times of crisis or conflict.
This news is of particular importance to mariners, as the discontinuation of Selective
Availability (SA) will improve the predicted accuracy of GPS for civilian users from
within 100 meters (about 300 feet) to within 20 meters (about 60 feet). In many cases,
real-world users will find the accuracy to be even better.
Users of Differential GPS (DGPS), an error correction add-on to stand-alone GPS, have
already been enjoying positional accuracy in the 1 - 3 meter range, so the discontinuation
of SA will have little effect for those users. However, the difference in accuracy between
stand-alone GPS and DGPS has now been significantly reduced.
Additional information on GPS can be found at the Interagency GPS Executive Board web site
at <A HREF="http://www.igeb.gov/">www.igeb.gov</A>.
Cobia Trip 15 -16 Apr 2000
Overnight trip to Panama City. Sun Harbor Marina 850-785-0551. Same place as last year. Full Hookups for slips .75/foot. Free catered buffet. 1st & 2nd place trophies. Club Rules apply. 60-40 split. Sleep Inn 1-888-285-7534 Tell them your with the Sailfish Club, rooms double or Single $50.00 Sign-up with Woody or Ed Fundis.
In an Emergency meeting tonight (15 Feb 2000) the board of directors voted to keep the original website http://www.fwbsailfishclub.org as the official sailfish club website. This site http://www.fwbsc.com continues to be the unofficial one.
The FWBSC is planning an auction 1 Mar 2000
Bring your fishing or boating related items to the clubhouse. Please have your items clearly tagged with your name and your "minimum bid". The Sailfish club will keep 10% (ten percent) of the proceeds. Be prepared to pay Fort Walton Beach Sailfish Club your final bid price, the club will then pay 90% (ninety percent) to the item owner. Jerry Abrams has agreed to be our auctioneer. This promises to be a very entertaining meeting, Don't miss it.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dave Warner (202) 628-2444
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CCA BLASTS US FISHERIES SERVICE LONGLINE PLAN WASHINGTON
(Dec. 16)-The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) blasted a proposal issued Dec. 15 by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that would close areas to pelagic longline fishing but leave displaced longline vessels in the fleet to fish elsewhere in U.S. waters.
The NMFS plan would close to longlining for tuna, swordfish, and sharks about 99,800 square nautical miles of the U.S. south Atlantic-from Cape Fear, N.C., to Key West, Fla. and about 96,600 square nautical miles in the western Gulf of Mexico-from the Texas-Mexico border to Grand Isle, La. The south Atlantic closure would be permanent, while the Gulf closure would run from March 1 through Sept. 30.
NMFS was forced to issue the proposal as a result of a lawsuit brought by several environmental groups, including by the National Coalition for Marine Conservation. CCA is supporting pending congressional legislation that would close similar areas to longlining and retire boats from the fleet. The measure is expected to achieve major conservation benefits through a reduction in the bycatch of billfish and other marine species. Coupled with a reduction in the quota for swordfish recently approved by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, marine scientists believe the closed areas and smaller fleet will result in a decrease in the take of small swordfish by up to 52 percent and reductions in the bycatch of white marlin by 13 percent, spearfish by 29 percent, blue marlin by 32 percent, and sailfish by 47 percent.
The CCA-supported legislation is being sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Sens. John B. Breaux, D-La., and Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, and in the U.S. House by Reps. Porter J. Goss, R-Fla., and W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, R-La., and embodies an agreement reached by CCA, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), The Billfish Foundation (TBF), and the Blue Water Fishermen's Association-U.S. longliners. The bills would close areas from the North Carolina-South Carolina border to Key West and from the Texas-Mexico border to Cape San Blas, Fla.-a total of more than 160,000 square nautical miles. It also would retire nearly one-third of the U.S. longline fleet through a program that would buy out longliners' fishing permits.
The NMFS plan does not include a buyout program. "Without a buyout," says Frederic L. Miller, chairman of CCA's Government Relations Committee, "longliners in the south Atlantic will simply move to the mid-Atlantic or the eastern Gulf. There will be no reduction in fishing effort and no conservation benefit." In fact, NMFS states that its proposal will lead to an increase in the bycatch of billfish, turtles, and other marine species in the areas that remain open to longlining. The proposal also would allow longlining for dolphin and wahoo to continue in the south Atlantic. (The CCA-backed bill would stop longlining for all species in the closed areas.)
The NMFS proposal has other flaws, Miller points out. The biggest defect is its inability to meet the legal mandates of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Therefore, says Miller, the NMFS proposal likely will lead to litigation (from affected longliners) and delays in efforts to protect marine resources.
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CCA is a nonprofit organization of 70,000 recreational saltwater anglers from Texas to Maine dedicated to the conservation and protection of marine fishery resources.
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Sent out by: Coastal Conservation Association of Florida Phone:
(850) 224-3474 Fax: (850) 224-5199 E-Mail: info@cca-florida.com
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