[Broad Bill]

I never thought the day would come when I advocated for ignoring regulations. I've ALWAYS been one to follow the rules, even if I didn't necessarily agree with them, in the hope things would work out prospectively. Never did I think in the case of summer flounder that 25 years of waiting would result in more restrictive regulations, a declining fishery, complete disregard for the stock itself by management and the recreational sector's God given right to share equally in the access and fair distribution of that resource which is clearly outlined in the Magnuson Stevenson Act "MSA". 25 years minimum this fishery has been mismanaged and they continue using the same failed policies to manage the stock. Definition of complete incompetence and lunacy.

ASMFC, MAFMC, NMFS, the Department of Commerce and our local politicians, with a few exceptions, have turned their back on this fishery for the sake of personal reasons and alternate agendas and the everyday recreational angling community including party and charter boat owners are shouldering the price of their arrogance and greed. That's what we've received in return for all our sacrifices which have been many.

Small businesses and a recreational activity in existence longer than all of us have been alive, the fabric in many ways of families, shore communities and third and fourth generation small family businesses are more at risk today than ever.

ASA sits by and does noting. Meetings take place with ZERO chance of causing change. Those meetings are simply a box to be checked as a requirement of MSA and decisions are made without any substantive input from the public and entirely with input from the commercial sector or a select few people with political connections.

Our beloved fishery and sport has been commercialized. If you don't see it, do your research and open your eyes.

Next year when the Galloway meeting is scheduled, not one single person should attend. Send a message. For as long as it takes, boycott any purchases from Berkeley for Gulp and Spro jigs or any of their other products. There's enough people who make knock off jigs to purchase from. If we all need to drag squid and spearing again for a few years, we should consider it and use up your existing inventory. Don't buy products from manufacturers who don't support our plight, I'm sure ASA would eventually be pressured to get on board. Continue patronizing our local charter and party boats and tackle shops who've supported us over these years of ridiculous regulations but we need an organized message and campaign to have our concerns acknowledged and addressed. And if it means ignoring regulations which my entire life I never advocated for, we're at an inflection point where not doing so will be the final nail in this and other fisheries coffin so what's there to lose.

The recreational sector has a God given right to an equal and fair allocation of a public resources and the stock deserves and needs to be managed prudently. If the morons involved making decisions for their own benefit can't come to grips with that concept, why would we make the same sacrifices every year and follow their misguided and one sided policy decisions. It's time to break ranks.

Something radical needs to occur in salt water fisheries management and if we elect to do nothing then we accept being shit on by people who could care less about the millions of people who are rightfully entitled to enjoy and benefit from these resources. We have the numbers, what we don't have is a coherent and executable strategy to leverage those numbers to change what we've been exposed to since the late 90's.

I'd be more than happy to be part of a movement to push this agenda but we need lawyers, tech savvy people, industry leaders, fishing organization who are more concerned about the big picture than their annual tournaments, boat manufacturers, tackle manufacturers, recreational anglers, peripheral small business owners, charter and party boat associations and people familiar with organizing. And if we need a tea party approach, let it begin. Drastically underfunded F&G personnel can't keep up with poachers, how would they keep up with 500,000 recreational anglers who collectively say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" and actually mean it this time.

People may laugh at this post but I'd ask in return "what other options do we have to save one of the most important past times we're graced with having?" If you have an answer to that question, we're all ears.