They Said It Would Never Happen

 
They said, "It'd never happen. They wouldn't do this to us. Besides, 2 out of 5 members on the board are appointed as Sportfishing Representatives. We get to have our say." BUT, in the most important vote to anglers in California, THEY DID DO IT! In this particular meeting the 5 member Fish and Wildlife Commission voted recently with only 3 members present. The 2 missing members were the 2 Sportfishing Representatives, (of course). 300 anglers took off work to attend the meeting but were let down by the 2 Sportfishing Representatives that just couldn't make it. So, the 3 members that DID attend the meeting took advantage and voted the way they wanted. 2 to 1 to close 175 square miles of ocean to all fishing. And, on top of this, they made it effective January 1st already! Now regulators are talking about next year increasing that number to a whopping 425 square miles.
The 11 areas just closed, (so far) locks up more than 25% of the best fishing grounds around the islands off Santa Barbara according to Tom Raftican, President of United Anglers of Southern California. Even catch-and-release fishing is prohibited thanks to "extreme environmentalists".
So remember, while watching these 'environmentalists' on TV or reading about them in newspapers in other areas, they're coming to a location near you! It's only time. You see, the 'concerned environmentalists' HAVE to have an 'agenda' or they couldn't raise money for doing nothing. So while they're helping to pollute the atmosphere by all of them driving to all these meetings to demonstrate, killing all those trees for their informational sheets, letters to ask for donations and signs and wooden sign holders to protest, it's only 'their' cause that's important to them. We're just anglers who should stay home and off the water.
The National Park Service is already wanting to regulate the Timucuan Preserve areas here in Jacksonville in case you haven't heard. They already have plans to enforce limitations on what can go on in the Preserve areas by the end of 2003. In case you didn't know, the Preserve area includes the entire St. Johns River from the east end, (the tip) of the North Jetties to Blount Island and the Intracoastal Waterway with all of the creeks off of it from south of Chickopit Bay, north to the Nassau River and Nassau River from the Atlantic Ocean westerly to past I-95 Expressway. I've fished these same areas for 45 years but now they want me to pay a fee for a permit to take customers in there. Is this really their 'property'? I thought property was land? Who can really 'OWN' the water that flows into and out of the ocean? It's started in OUR area. Coming to a location near you! It's only a matter of time now.