I did spin off on a tangent there. Government for sale isn't a new thing but now it's just so friggin blatent they don't even have to pretend anymore.
The reality of the New England ground fishery is that the commercial industry has pounded the shit out of that fishery so hard and for so long that there is real quantifiable long term damage. Cod is the poster child of that long term abuse.
The danger is over reaction from conservationists and regulators (just look at sea bass or striped bass, for instance)
The notion that anyone is getting rich from imposing these rule is ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as the tin foil hat crowd that denies climate change. BUT I do think that the notion that there are people earning a living making rules for fishermen based on flimsy numbers and who have absolutely no clue what is involved in earning a living on the water has merit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by reason162
I completely agree with you re Citizens.
However I don't see the regulatory people (and I suppose the environmental/conservation constituency) as analogous to the fat cats buying up policy makers. Those people are on the other side, the commercial side. We recreational guys are just caught in the middle.
The common theme on this (and other) fishing forums is that somehow there are people getting rich off imposing quotas on fisheries. I can't even begin to comprehend the logic of this argument. Surely the greed lies on the side of people who stand to profit off catching fish?
That's not to say that I agree with all regs. I can accept that the science is flawed in some cases, thin in others. I just find the knee-jerk reaction to any talk of regulations as "big government getting rich off us common folk" pretty hilarious.
|
