Obama’s Industry Killing Policies Spark Protest By Fisherman Off Martha’s Vineyard Coast
Posted by Lady Liberty on Thursday, August 26, 2010, 7:44 PM
Photo by AP
A fishing vessel, which is part of a flotilla of commercial and fishing industry boats, displays banners in Vineyard Haven Harbor, in Vineyard Haven, Mass., near the coast of the island of Martha’s Vineyard today.
Video of the protest is here.
O’Ryan Johnson at The Boston Herald - reported:
ABOARD THE FISHING TRAWLER BULLDOG – Around noon, at least 20 fishing vessels began circling Vineyard Haven’s harbor, blasting their air horns and displaying banners to protest President Obama’s restrictions on commercial fishing that they say threaten their livelihood.
Two U.S. Coast Guard Zodiac boats intercepted the flotilla of protesters minutes out from the president’s vacation paradise, but were keeping their distance and have so far made no attempt to stop the fishermen either physically or by radio.
But there was no sign along the sunsplashed holiday coast – other than the contingent of Coasties – that the president or the federal government had taken any notice of the protest. On a handful of pleasure boats out on a sunny day, however, civilian boaters gave the thumbs-up sign, waved and blew their air horns. The White House referred comment to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the fisheries, where a spokesperson could not be immediately reached.
“We’re hoping we let him know we’re in dire straits,” said Richard Canastra, co-owner of the Boston and New Bedford Seafood Display and Auction. “We’re hoping his administration is bringing this to his attention. The whole thing comes down to jobs, jobs, jobs.”
The protesters were armed with huge signs and flags expressing their outrage over the Obama administration’s fishing regulations.
One sign read: “Fishing families are working families.”
Other fishermen were waving “Don’t tread on me” flags, the Revolutionary War banner that has been adopted by the anti-tax, anti-big government Tea Party movement.
But there were indications the fishermen were having trouble getting their message across. On shore, the protest drew small pockets of gawkers who wondered out loud what the hubbub was about.
“We’re steaming to Martha’s Vineyard to attempt to raise some awareness with the president while he’s 25 miles south of the most profitable port in the country to raise concerns about the fact that everyone is angry with (setting fishing limits),” Robert Vanasse, executive director of Saving Seafood, said as the flotilla got underway from New Bedford.
Having successfully shut down an estimated 23,000 American oil drilling jobs off the Gulf Coast, citing possible environmental concerns, the Obama administration is now moving on New England fishermen.
As explained by Ed Morrissey at HotAir the move by Obama appointee Jane Lubchenco, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is designed to replace private fishing with new government-regulated operations:
“They want to close the fisheries into ‘commodities markets’ where the government essentially licenses fishermen and then allocates the catch based on a predetermined distribution plan. The ‘commodities markets’ will kill many fishing-based jobs and essentially turn fishermen into government employees, and they’re not happy about it.”
Lubchenco, a former official with the Environmental Defense Fund, has said that her policy goal is to eliminate “a significant fraction of the vessels.”
As pointed out by Mike Johnson at American Thinker -
New regulations were imposed on May 1, 2010: miniscule allocations, big-brother reporting, electronic tracking, government observers on nearly every other trip. Of course, to implement this, the bureaucracy has expanded — exploded — with lots of public-sector jobs. The trouble with public-sector jobs is that they do not create wealth. On the contrary, they are paid for by the taxpayer and represent a drain on available capitol.
The fishing industry is now being managed and controlled, to the point of restructuring, by the federal government. Isn’t that the very definition of socialism? How did the government, the executive branch, get such power?
[...]
Obama’s approach to the jobs issue is to fund more public-sector jobs. This is of little help, as public sector jobs do not generate new wealth, new growth. Obama and his people do not appreciate this. “Community organizer” is not a wealth-creating job. Most members of the administration have never spent a day in a wealth-creating job.
Obama’s approach to the difficulties of the fishing industry is pure Obama. Take advantage of the half-law passed by the lazy Congress and use regulations to put the government firmly in control. Socialize the industry. Never mind that socialism generally fails while capitalism generally succeeds — not because of the book-smart economics, but because of the effect on the psyche. People have a sense of self-worth under capitalism that is not provided by socialism.
As this illustrates yet again, Obama is a jobs destroyer not a jobs creator. And Recovery Summer is a joke!
Hat Tip Jules Crittendon
And From Michelle Malkin:
The fishermen’s flotilla: Showdown at Martha’s Vineyard
By Michelle Malkin • August 26, 2010 10:32 AM
Continuing my coverage of the revolt against the White House ocean grab, here’s the latest on today’s fishermen’s protest flotilla gathering at Martha’s Vineyard while President Obama plays Scrabble and golf with his Chicago cronies.
Takeaway quote from this local news report from one of the fishermen outraged at the administration’s junk science-based catch limits: “All these politicians scream about is jobs, jobs, jobs. Why are they putting out of business?”
Related: Corruption, waste, and anti-fishing vendettas at NOAA have been rampant. Background from Richard Gaines of the Gloucester Daily Times here and here.
More from Andrew Malcolm at Top of the Ticket.
Get involved: More from the Fishing Rights Alliance and the Recreational Fishing Alliance.
***
A local fishermen took out a full-page ad in the Martha’s Vineyard Gazette. I’m reprinting it in full here. How about a fish and chips summit, Mr. President?
Northeast Seafood Coalition takes out full page ad in Vineyard Gazette
EDGARTOWN, Massachusetts – Aug 24, 2010 – The Northeast Seafood Coalition has taken out a full page ad in today’s Vineyard Gazette. The ad is an open letter to President Obama from Russell Sherman, captain of the Fishing Vessel Lade Jane of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The text follows:
“MR. PRESIDENT, WE NEED YOUR HELP”
Dear President Obama,
My name is Russell Sherman, and I am a life-long fisherman. Like New England fisherman before me have done for 387 years, I take my vessel, the 72-foot F/V Lady Jane from the port of Gloucester, Massachusetts, into North Atlantic waters to bring back cod, haddock, flounder, and other groundfish for America’s table. I hope that while you’re in New England, you and your family are enjoying a few meals of our fresh catch – there’s none better tasting or healthier in the world.
Mr. President, my fellow fishermen and I need your leadership. We are small businessmen and women who want to continue the profession we love. We have worked hard over the past 16 years to rebuild groundfish stocks. Today, some stocks are fully rebuilt, and most others are expected to rebuild in three years, by 2014. According to federal forecasts, a fully rebuilt fishery will yield a sustainable catch nearly five times current landings.
At a time when we should be hopeful about the future of our businesses, we are desperate instead. We are being driven from our work and the fishery we have helped to rebuild. Ironically, what’s putting us out of work are the rules to rebuild the fishery. The most recent version of these rules – effective on May 1, 2010 – impose very low annual catch limits on stocks for the next three years, and at the same time institute a
“catch share” system.
Take my case. Under the 2010 rules, my permit allows an annual catch of only 60,000 lbs of groundfish. At an average price of $1.50 a pound, that’s an annual gross of $90,000, or about one-quarter of my business’ gross income last year. I simply cannot run my business and support my crew of four – each with a family – on only $90,000 a year.
My business is only one of hundreds facing extinction. While there will be a small handful of “winners” under these new rules, the vast majority of us will be losers. And when we “losers” are forced out, jobs will be lost, coastal communities gutted, and crucial commercial fishing infrastructure gone forever. Is this the way to rebuild our storied, centuries-old groundfish fishery?
I belong to an organization called the Northeast Seafood Coalition, a New England-wide organization of 255 small, entrepreneurial fishing businesses and allied support businesses that participates in the public process. The Coalition has tried to bring this matter to the attention of your Department of Commerce. We have tried to offer constructive solutions to the challenge of rebuilding fisheries without at the same time destroying them. But our efforts have fallen on deaf ears.
Mr. President, we desperately need your leadership. We ask that you please direct your Department of Commerce to listen to us and work with us. We know that we can meet this challenge by working together.
Sincerely yours,
Russell Sherman, Captain, F/V Lady Jane Port of Gloucester, Massachusetts
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