Obama Is NOT Banning Fishing, So STFU!

Yes, believe it or not this story was reported to me by several sources as true. No Obama is NOT banning sportfishing! Geez, with all the problems in the world, not to mention all the problems in the US right now, you’d think that people could focus on progress, the platform their legally elected president ran under.

Apparently, the story was started by an opinion piece on ESPN Outdoors which then caused a massive uproar in conservative bloggers and spread like a virus of stupidity across the internet. Such as, Obama’s Latest Assault on Freedom– New Regulations Will Ban Sport Fishing.

The only problem is that these “regulations” don’t exist. What Montgomery was writing about is the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force that has been charged by the White House with developing a comprehensive federal policy for managing the nation’s waterways. Yes, they are interested in conservation and they are interested in setting new guidelines for fishing policies—commercial fishing policies that are threatening to deplete our food supply. Except they haven’t even gotten that far yet. All they’ve released is an interim report [PDF] that discusses what their goals are, none of which involve a ban on fishing. In fact, from what I can tell it’s completely generic legalese that contains no actionable policy recommendations in it all. It says zip about recreational fishing, never mind any sort of plan to curtail it.

No longer accepting input doesn’t mean it’s being banned. I saw how the recent input (read: filibuster) on healthcare went, and if I were Obama I’d be tired of hearing other peoples input. Heck, as an American citizen I’m tired of watching him listen! For once someone needs to stand up and make the right choices for America, not just the popular ones.

via Dead Spin

Update: March 11th, 2010

The Obama administration is trying to dash rumors that it planned to ban recreational fishing in marine waters and the Great Lakes in the wake of a series of Internet posts warning that such a prohibition was imminent.

But with rumors flying yesterday, Reps. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) and Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) both expressed concern about the issue in a House Science Committee hearing. They asked the NOAA chief if the administration is considering a ban on recreational fishing.

“Will you please reassure me and the angling public, whether commercial or recreational that their issues are going to be taken into consideration?” Broun asked.

“Both commercial and recreational fishing are vitally important to this nation,” Lubchenco said. “We are not proposing any blanket ban on recreational fishing. I would strongly oppose that, and it is not in the works.”

ESPN outdoors editor Steve Bowman issued an apology yesterday afternoon, saying the article should have been clearly identified as commentary, not news, and should have had more balance. The Web site has since altered the article and added a header identifying it as an opinion piece.

via NY Times

9 Comments
March 10, 2010 by Jonathon Marshall

Filed Under: Fishing, Freshwater, News, Saltwater, United States
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9 Comments on “Obama Is NOT Banning Fishing, So STFU!...”

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  • avatar bryan holt
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    I will say this though, recent legislation in a lot of states has made it absolutely impossible to fish. The bans on bottom fishing, especially in Florida, is crappy (no pun intended since we are talking about fishing). Charters and independent fishermen can no longer go out and bottom fish, but commercial fishermen (especially the Japanese) can go off our coasts everyday and over fish our reefs and holes. It sucks that I can no longer go off shore with my uncles in Florida and bottom fish for grouper and snapper. We always fished our limits and never poached, now there is nothing. I won’t go on and on about it, since I don’t live in Florida I do not know all of the details, just going on what my uncles have told me…just sucks that many people (charters) will lose their livelihood because people think the waters are over-fished, but other countries can rape the sea and we don’t see a dime of it…

  • avatar Jonathon Marshall
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    Bryan I appreciate the comment, I do realize this (and politics in general) is a touchy subject. Unfortunately though I think that we may see more of these types of bans in the future. We’ve been raiding our oceans for a long time, there has to be a cost. My hope is that the new guidelines and fishing policies, especially those targeting commercial fishing, are meaningful in bringing about the restoration of our oceans. Commercial fishing does more harm to a species than sportfishing, and the rules should reflect that. Still, someone is going to feel the pinch.

    I think a lot more funding needs to go in to natural resources and the surrounding committees that work heavily towards conservation. A plan of stricter conservation and some kind of restoration project to help build species and habitat back up also need to be considered.

    Most of all I think I’ve just reached my limit in the state of politics and since they got on the subject of which this blog is based I felt the need to lash out and say something. All of it makes me angry.

  • avatar Brian Marshall
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    No, Obama is not banning fishing. That is just a headline grabber. The concern is about the unintended consequences of any such regulation if the concerns of sport fishermen are not heard by policy makers.

    What is so funny about the uproar this ESPN article has caused on every fishing forum is that the fight over this proposed regulation has been going on for sometime.

    Inland water anglers have not had much concern because more than likely it will not effect us. However, great lakes anglers and saltwater anglers most certainly will be effected if implemented. There is a reason why most of the major sport fishing groups are involved in this process. Even Shimano has had lobbyists on the job. Bassmaster Magazine had an editorial about this a couple months back as well.

    I wish everybody would do a little more research on their own before posting, either which way.

  • avatar bryan holt
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    I agree that we need stricter laws and conservation acts greatly, and agree that we have been raiding the oceans for a long time. I just wish communities of the world would get together and act more on commercial aspects as opposed to the sporting aspects. Many states have regulated what they believe to be sustainable limits on fish, but when it comes to international waters the laws vanish. With commercial fishing taking species to the brink maybe we should look at expanding our borders on the ocean (wishful thinking) and building more artificial reefs to bring in and sustain the species…
    All in all I loved the article (because you explained it in a non-threatening and cleared up a lot of info) and while politics in our country now is a touchy subject I agree with your platform even though we (sport fishermen) are feeling this “pinch”. Love the site and keep up the good work, if either one of you make it down to South Carolina shoot me an email, I know a lot of areas around here to show y’all a good time on and off the water…Cheers guys!

  • avatar Jonathon Marshall
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    Bryan I completely agree with you. If I’m ever in the area I’d definitely like to share a beer with you at the very least!

  • avatar cbiegel
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    In response to Bryan, the Japanese fisherman you are worried about are not allowed to fish within our economic exclusion zone (EEZ) which extends out from the US for 200 miles. It’s a little closer off the most southern part of FL but I still don’t think your uncles are running that far off shore unless they are going into Cuban waters.

    I’m not trying to start a fight but it’s a common misconception that used to be based on fact but was mostly fixed in the mid 70’s with the passing of the Magnusson Stevens Act which excluded foreign fleets from our EEZ.

    If there really are foreign commercial vessels in the EEZ you should contact the Coast Guard and they will literally show up in armed vessels. It’s happens from time to time up here on the US/Canada border (on both sides).

  • avatar Jonathon Marshall
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    Brian,

    “I wish everybody would do a little more research on their own before posting, either which way.”

    I could not have said it better myself, and that ideal applies to so many things right now.

    Also, have you got any family in Chicago? Just curious if we’re related.

  • avatar bryan holt
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    and that’s exactly why I didn’t talk too much about it because I don’t know all of the facts lol…either way I just hope that something can be worked out so that sport fishermen, commercial fishermen and charter boat captains can all enjoy the ocean and make a living, and in turn still maintain a sustainable ocean so that future generations can enjoy it (far cry from reality but wishful thinking). My wife and I are planning to have children soon and it would kill me if my children couldn’t share in all of the joys I have had through out my years fishing. I love the open forum here and everyone who has responded has informed me about stuff I didn’t know about til recently…cheers guys…tight lines

  • avatar Jonathon Marshall
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    Indeed, I must commend everyone that’s commented here on their outstanding maturity (this is the internet after all). I’m very proud to have you here.

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