Posted by msblucow on February 26, 2003 at 00:39:04:
In Reply to: Re: Throwing the kitchen sink at the MLPA posted by Mel on February 25, 2003 at 22:17:59:
and ignorant. Must be nice not to let facts get in the way of your buzz....
Truth is, F&G has known they would get sued the moment the MPA's became a reality; it's just another step along the way to implimentation. They've been very careful to keep all thier t's crossed and i's dotted, so all this is is a delaying tactic on VCCFA's and United Anglers' part. It's really a shame, because instead of wasting resources and fighting the inevitable, they could be investing in ways to better manage what resources are left.
I don't blame the commercial fishing industry for trying to protect their way or life, but sadly, in an era of welfare reform, their industry is one of the great welfare economies left in our state. It's like a farmer who keeps planting the same crops on the same land year after year, ignoring the advice of his neighbors to rotate his crops, accepting government handouts to keep in business, then screaming bloody murder when the government steps in to enforcesustainable farming practices when his land becomes so depleted it blows away in the wind.
In the past the commercial fishermen got by because after exploiting an area to collapse, they could always move on to the next fishery. Those days are long gone. I find it ironic that they are fighting one of the last, best hopes of preserving an area that could become a really productive breeding ground for the entire Channel Islands, and thus preserve the resource that their livelihoods are based on.