Keeping in mind that I am but the messenger here ... since the January explosion of the Tiny Fish PSA in the Central California coast region I have conducted a large amount of individual communication with about a dozen fishermen in that region. Here's an excerpt from an e-mail this morning from one of the best and most impartial of them (i.e. he supports the idea of MPAs if well thought out) which gives insight in the sad state of things:
I walked into this MLPA issue with my eyes wide open. I had heard a
lot of negative things from fishermen regarding the environmental
community but I still felt that it was more of a communication issue.
My feeling now is that I was a naive fool for ever considering that to
be the case. The writing is on the wall that there is a clear drive by
a select few to stop fishing. It is unfortunate because I really
thought that if the two sides ever could come together they would be
impossible to stop. Recreational fishing is not the enemy yet we are
being vilified even more so than the worst of the worst industrial
fisheries. When was the last time you heard NRDC scream about bottom
trawling or the nearshore "live fish" market? I am hopeful that
Oceana will be that reasonable voice although I am skeptical. Its
unfortunate that these groups (really a few individuals) have been
able to garner so much influence in the scientific community and are
now attempting to buy the policy making authority in California.
Again, no need to attack me. I'm just trying to provide some insights into the inner sentiments of the fishing community and convey a clear picture of how things are, which is not the happy partnership between fishermen and environmentalists that is sometimes projected by a few.
Posted by Randy Olson at April 28, 2005 09:50 AM