Permit & african pompano - our last chance!!!

  • Ok everyone, listen up!!


    This is our last attempt to show our force in support of the FWC staff recommendations for the new Permit, Pompano, and African Pompano regulations. If approved these new recommendations will take place Jan. 1, 2011.


    The meeting is NEXT week in Pensacola, FL, on Sept. 1-3. On Thursday (the 2nd) the FWC staff who have worked very hard over the last year and a half to develop very fair and balanced regulations will be presenting their recommendations to the Commissioners.


    I’m going to list the FWC Staff recommendations and I will also be attaching a general letter in PDF format that you can use as it is or modify it to your views. If you have a problem with obtaining the attached letters PM me your email address here and I will send you both of them. There has been a last minute (smear) letter campaign by a small user group in S. Fl (BTT) that has aimed specifically at eliminating the recommendations for the allowance of spearing gear. The fly-fishermen have been bombing the FWC comissioners with form letters urgently asking them not to allow spearing of permit and African pompano and they will be there at the meeting. Spearos could easily trump the number of letters against if just a third of the regulars here dropped them a note in favor of allowing the same bag limit for all.


    Please send the attached letter or your own letter (even better) to the FWC today.


    Three or four sentences is all you need to express your opinion. In fact IMO shorter is better if they are merely counting those in favor vs. those against.


    My name is XXXX, I live in XXXXX. I have a Fl fishing license, and I support equal bag limits for Permits and African Pompano for hook and line anglers and spearfishermen.


    Name, Address, Phone Number


    WE NEED AN OVERWHELMING SHOW OF SUPPORT OF STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP THIS PASS!!!


    The attached letter can be emailed to all the commissioners by using this address – commissioners@myfwc.com


    PLEASE DO THIS TODAY AND SOUND OFF ON THIS THREAD SO WE CAN KEEP THIS THREAD ON TOP FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. :thumbsup2:


    You can also send a hard copy (I highly recommend this, it’s a cost of stamp and 10 minutes out of your day) to the following address:


    Attn: Executive Directors Office
    Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
    620 South Meridian Street
    Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600


    If you would like to attend the meeting in Pensacola (the FRA and a few others will be there on Tuesday to voice our support of the recommendations to the Commissioners) the meeting will be taking place here:


    Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front
    12 Via de Luna Drive
    Pensacola Beach, FL 32561


    The following is a link to the presentation that FWC Staff have prepared for the meeting on Tuesday that will cover the following recommendations –
    http://myfwc.com/docs/Commissi…tPompano_presentation.pdf


    Staff recommendations:


    Currently in state waters, there is a slot limit of 11 to 20 inches for permit and Florida pompano. There is a bag limit of six permit and Florida pompano combined, with an allowance for one fish greater than 20 inches included within the six-fish bag limit. A maximum of two fish over 20 inches per vessel may be harvested.


    Staff recommends extending the current recreational size and bag limits into federal waters.


    Staff recommends extending the current allowable recreational gear for permit and Florida pompano within the slot limit of 11-20 inches to federal waters. In addition, staff recommends to allow spearing of permit and Florida pompano greater than 20 inches in ALL (State and Federal) waters. Permit or Florida pompano that are speared would be held to the bag limit of 1 fish over 20 inches per person per day, and a 2 fish maximum per vessel.


    Currently, commercial vessels are allowed to harvest two permit or Florida pompano in any combination greater than 20 inches, but these fish cannot be sold. Staff recommends that possession of permit and Florida pompano greater than 20 inches on commercial vessels be prohibited. This change will aid enforcement of the slot size.


    There is currently a commercial incidental bycatch limit of 100 Florida pompano. This bycatch limit applies to commercial vessels targeting a species other than Florida pompano with gillnets in federal waters. Staff recommends amending the bycatch limit to create a 100 Florida pompano and permit combined limit.


    Currently in state waters, there is a minimum size limit for African pompano of 24 inches and a bag limit of two African pompano per person, with a maximum of two per vessel. This size and bag limit applies to both recreational and commercial harvesters. Staff recommends applying these regulations in federal waters.


    Currently in state waters, the only allowable gear for African pompano is hook and line. Staff recommends applying hook and line as an allowable gear in federal waters as well. Staff also recommends allowing spearing of African pompano in ALL waters. Spearing of African pompano both recreationally and commercially is currently occurring in federal waters. Spearing will be restricted with the same 2 fish bag limit and which would be applied in both state and federal waters.

  • Thank you Rolando!! We only have today and tomorrow to contact the FWC Commissioners, please keep spreading the word.

    Shoot em when you see em.

  • Thank you for your efforts bringing this to our attention Bryan. I sent an email today. Here's the text from the PDF file for copying and pasting in an email.


    Subject - New permit, pompano, and African pompano regulations.


    Dear Commissioners-


    Thank you for your sound management of Florida’s fish and wildlife. I am contacting
    you regarding your upcoming decision about the management of Florida pompano,
    African pompano and permit.


    Your staff experts did an outstanding job of gathering public input and opinion through
    the series of statewide workshops and video-conferences on the pompano/permit issue
    over the past year and a half. The resulting staff recommendations indicate that a majority
    of Florida’s pompano and permit fishermen approve of allowing individuals to harvest
    their legal bag limit of permit or African pompano by hook and line or spearfishing gear.


    I agree with these staff recommendations. Chairman Barreto himself mentioned, at the
    Clewiston meeting, that he saw no reason that a spearfisherman, following the same
    limits as any other fisherman, should be excluded from harvesting his or her limit of one
    permit over 20 inches. The phrase “a fish in the cooler is a fish in the cooler” was
    mentioned several times at that meeting, where the preliminary vote on this issue passed.


    Not only do these recommendations provide fairness in allowable gear, they will simplify
    the enforcement process for state and county agencies. With a 20” minimum length and
    1 per angler/2 per boat limit in place, this species will continue to thrive while allowing
    Florida sportsmen of all kinds to take a reasonable catch home for dinner.


    Further, spearfishing gear is arguably the most ecologically friendly fishing gear, with a
    bycatch that approaches zero and no effect on undersized fish. There is virtually no
    discard mortality associated with spearfishing. A light tackle angler, however, can fight
    numerous fish to exhaustion, and then release them near potential predators such as
    sharks and goliath grouper. A diver selects, stalks, and shoots a single fish, avoiding any
    undersized fish. Spearfishermen make up a tiny fraction of the total permit/pompano user
    group, with the total spear catch being extremely small compared to that of hook and line.


    According to FWC staff biologists, none of these three species is even remotely in
    trouble per the most recent data. They have not been subject to an increase in pressure,
    nor have they been found to be endangered in any way. In fact, this issue seems to be
    fueled primarily by a group of catch and release only fishermen who would like you to
    force their personal preference on all of Florida’s fishermen regardless of the lack of true
    need, which I believe, is unfair. I hope you will too.


    The FWC resources being spent on this issue would be, in my opinion, better spent on
    other fisheries which have documented problems, not catering to the personal preferences
    of a small group of fly-fishermen.


    To recap - I support ALL of the most recent staff recommendations and commend the
    staff for their diligence throughout this process.


    Sincerely,

  • even if you personally dont target these fish, your support is needed as precident set here can effect many other species..please dont be silent and let those who are opposed to us silence us and fill the void with their lies and opinions

    i like to spear fish

  • This is our last day to contact the FWC Commissioners and express to them that we support the Staff's recommendations for changes to the Permit, Pompano, and African Pompano regulations.


    Please email them the letter at the beginning of this thread or create you own if you have not done so.


    The more simple the better, example.


    My name is John and fully support the Staff's recommendations for changes to the Permit, Pompano, and African Pompano regulations.


    Name, Date, Phone number or address


    Commissioner's email address --> Commissioners@myfwc.com

    Shoot em when you see em.

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