A tempest in a teapot or a call to worms?

In my casual reading tonight I found something that might get some people excited. In a nutshell, Obama issued an executive order a while back that would create a federal organization with widely sweeping powers to regulate ocean, Great Lakes, and inland waters management. Some people in the fishing industry are saying that it could be the end of sport fishing, ocean, inland, and Great lakes. The folks at ESPN, BASS, the ASA and others are pretty excited about it.

I read through the interim report that the executive order discharged people with generating. It is an environmentalist and global warming advocate’s dream. There were a lot of enviro-centric generalities and some very broad and sweeping powers advocated, and they kept bringing up global warming.

What wasn’t in there was a direct reference to banning sport fishing. Apparently the pro-fishing groups that were in on the planning did not like where it was expected to go once generalities like ecosystem based management and marine spatial planning became more specific mandates in the hands of the environmentalist driven new agency. There have been some fishing area closures recently that they see as a beginning to more sweeping threats to anglers via this order.

Again specific environmental organizations were not mentioned in the report, but several blogs & articles suggest that that some of the more extreme ones like the WWF were very proactive in the planning and just under the surface.

I have issues with it with or without a direct threat to fishing. First of all, something this sweeping should be introduced as legislation and passed into law, not enacted by fiat via executive order. I know that sixty or eighty  million fishermen will freak out and stop the law if you went the legislative route, and that might be unpleasant, but didn’t we used to be a representative republic?

Number two, don’t we already have like 6 federal agencies that dabble into ocean and waterways management above and beyond regional organizations and the DNR? What exactly is the crisis that requires another one, and how do you figure on paying for all of these wild fantasies?

If these folks really do intend on limiting or stopping sport fishing they are about to get their heads bit off by the biggest meanest grizzly bear in the land, the American fisherman. People are very passionate about their fishing, and there are a lot of us. A wise man wouldn’t tangle with that.

I don’t know if this is a direct threat to fishing or not, but I can do without it.

RJB

Here are links..

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/09_17_09_Interim_Report_of_Task_Force_FINAL2.pdf

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/saltwater/news/story?id=4975762

http://www.asafishing.org/newsroom/news_pr100509.html

http://www.asafishing.org/newsroom/news_pr022310.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/news/story?id=4522316

Greetings and welcome!

Thank you guys that commented for your support. It is much appreciated. I think that I like the new site, it is possibly the best one yet. I still haven’t finished the header image, but the one of the aurora and sprites is pretty cool too.

Yesterday was beautiful outside. It was mostly sunny and by Athelstane Weather’s account, 61.2F. I saw 58 on the Accuweather gadget on the left side of the site, and 65 in the sun out back. A few people disagreed that it went over 60, but I am not one of them.

I was outside working on the truck in a T-shirt and was hot much of the time. For once we had a warm spring day without the wind coming and putting a chill on it. As you saw in the pix yesterday, it really knocked down some snow & ice.

After working for a while I got a pretty ugly case of spring fever, and recruited Chris to go for a ride.  Here are a few pictures..

Today is a little different. It is in the 40s and as the rain gets closer the fog is creeping in. I am not a fan of fog. Not only is it hard to drive in, that is our snow evaporating, which I would much rather see in the river or lakes.

The NWS has the rain starting tonight and going through Friday night. On the GFS the precip keeps coming as the storm backs up and does it a little more, with rain into Sunday. Sunday and Monday it is showing it as snow. (1-3, 2-4?)

A lot of the time the rain will be light. There are a few heavier waves of rain associated with the storm too. The total QPF for the storm is between 1-1.75″. Too bad that isn’t snow (12-20″).

I did see some road ban signs up yesterday.

This just came in minutes ago.. (TY Eric!)

From: John Scott, Forestry and Parks Administrator
Subject: ATV Trail Closure
For the 2010 season, the entire Marinette County ATV Trail
System will be closed to all vehicles effective March 15, 2010.
This closure is required to protect the soft trail bed from
erosion damage caused by ATV’s and other vehicles during spring
breakup. ATV trails will re-open when conditions warrant.
Another press release will be placed in the paper when the
trails are re-opened.
________________________

Usually the ATV trils reopen the first weekend in May, but that is subject to change with conditions.

Well  have to get back to work. I just wanted to say thanks, catch up on the weather, and show you the pictures. Now I have to pay the price for enjoying yesterday.

Have a good Tuesday and thank you for visiting!

RJB