Photo by Fred Bonner
The sportsmen of North Carolina deserve better from their elected state representatives.
But the only way that they are going to get it is by flooding the offices of those officials with phone calls and e-mails. Even better, they should go in force to Raleigh to express their outrage.
Or how about besieging the capitol building with bass boats? That should convince the politicians that anglers and hunters are a constituency worthy of respect.
Here is what is going on:
1. This week, the state House of Representatives will consider a Senate budget proposal to cut $9 million --- or nearly half --- of the general appropriation to the Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC).
The governor’s version cuts just 1 percent, while the Senate is not recommending such a severe cut to any other agency.
In past years, that appropriation has been used to support work by the agency in areas unrelated to fishing and hunting. Of course, anglers and hunters mostly pay their own way for the latter, through license fees and the state’s share of appropriations from the federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, which consists of excise taxes those sportsmen pay on fishing and hunting gear.
“The WRC cannot make up this deficit from hunting and fishing license fees or the Wildlife Endowment Fund without hurting the traditional programs of the agency,” says the Camo Coalition.
“The WRC has put 120 ongoing projects on hold until the results of the budget proposal by the Senate is resolved. Without significant restoration of these funds, many of the projects will be scraped.
“Slashed programs would include critical services such as law enforcement and widely used statewide infrastructure for boating and fishing access areas, game lands, shooting ranges, community fishing sites, and fish hatcheries.”
The agency manages 2 million acres of public game lands; 49 lakes and ponds, including 31 dams; 73 waterfowl impoundments; 1,878 miles of roads; 6 fish hatcheries that produce 7 million fish annually; 58 public fishing areas; 211 public boating access areas; 1,400 navigational aids; and 137 buildings that range from storage buildings and field stations to education centers and a 73,000-square-foot agency headquarters and environmental education center.
“Hunting and fishing is big business in North Carolina,” the coalition adds. “The wildlife related outdoor industry gives a whopping $3.3 billion bonus to the state’s economy every year through direct expenditures by hunters, fishermen, and wildlife enthusiasts. This stimulus comes from 1.2 million resident anglers and 395,000 non-resident anglers, who spend $1.5 billion directly fishing in North Carolina.
“Also, 259,000 resident hunters and 77,000 non-resident hunters spend $525 million here each year. Another 2.4 million wildlife-watching participants spend $930 million directly on their activities in North Carolina each year.
“The $18 million in general fund appropriation to keep this powerful economic engine that requires very little input or maintenance running is a wise investment by any terms of evaluation.”
Go here to learn more.
Also, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundations says this:
“Please contact House Appropriations Committee Chairman Representative Nelson Dollar and other members of the Committee immediately to voice your opinion. Additionally, consider contacting Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Senator Harry Brown and other members of the Senate Committee to express concerns over the proposed budget.”
2. North Carolina politicians continue to bow to pressure from commercial fishermen and their friends, refusing to give game fish status to striped bass, speckled sea trout, and redfish (red drum). Both Democrats and Republicans have been responsible for this, with the latter to blame this time around.
“Here we are in 2013 and the Republican Caucus, operating in secret and without warning, killed HB 983, the Fisheries Economic Development Act, commonly called the game fish bill, a week ago under the guise of it being a local issue,” says the Coastal Fisheries Reform Group.
“The Republican Caucus in the House essentially has told the more than 500,000 recreational salt water fishermen in the state that they have no vote, no say in how the salt water fishery is managed. A few coastal Representatives, again with ties to the commercial fishing sector, have decided for all of the state’s recreational fishermen that the commercial fishing industry will manage the fish.”
Only three commercial fishermen caught, sold, and reported selling more than $10,000 worth of estuarine striped bass, speckled trout, and red drum in any combination. These three fish constitute less than one percent of the total annual commercial catch and account for only about $3 million annually and 28 jobs according to the 2012 figures from the Division of Marine Fisheries.
The recreational value of the three fish is $131 million for the same period and supports 1,267 jobs.
“More than 30 species of finfish in inshore waters are open to commercial fishing; not one fish is managed as a game fish,” the reform group continues.
“If game fish had been enacted into law, the commercial sector still would be harvesting over 99 percent of the fish they are harvesting now. Even without the three game fish!
“The management of fisheries for commercial harvest creates a persistent drag on the population that over time always depletes the population and requires emergency and drastic action to save the fishery.
“We were too late in the case of the gray trout, the sturgeon, the river herring and we are just beginning to see recovery in the red drum, striped bass, and flounder. Extraordinary measures by recreational fishermen have led the way toward recovery with commercial fishermen complaining about government interference all the way.”
Go here to learn more.
Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 12:30AM 
