Attention all Swordfisherman important meeting

[Darkside]

Tuesday there will be a important meeting concerning the upcoming year and plans to help this great fishery. For more info call 954 420-5001.

[CAPTINMITCH]

8)

[Ron.38 Special]

Let me clean up this post a bit.
The meeting is the South East Swordfish Club.
Previously this club has been and invite membership only. We have been in existence for about six months.
Now we have decided to open up this club for general membership in an attempt to become the organized voice of the recreational swordfisherman.

We need your support and membership to become that voice.

A lot of issues face the recreational fisherman including stopping longlines from applying and getting Exempt Fishery Permits, Reporting and proper gathering of information to reserve the rights and historic acess of the recreational fisherman, Recreational access to quotas if they are ever enforced, and other important issues beside the obvious, catching more fish!

Other issues which may come up are things like our forum friend Mr. Jim Chambers and his ill advised attempt to list White Marlin as an endangered species. This is one that could bite us all and he doesn't care what happens because he obviously is not a recreational fisherman.

This months meeting will feature a few things, We will have Board Memeber Capt Skip Smith talk about his recent womans world record 8# class swordfish, we'll probably spend a few minutes talking about the recent bite and a few notable catches in the last few months, and our feature speaker will be Capt Peter Wright of Marlin magazine fame. Capt Peter Wright has boated more 1000# + Marlin than any other Captain in the World, and he will share a few of his experiences and secrets in that area of expertise. Heck, I might even share a few more secrets myself.

Past speakers have included Capt Bouncer Smith, Captain Ronnie Satchman, NMFS Enforcement Division,and a few longliners who have shared their great wealth of knowledge about these beautiful fish.

If you notice, this is the very first time we have decided to make a public invite on the internet, but we have realized that the swordfish community does access the public forum arena so we decided to announce our meeting this one and only time on this forum and one other forum.

You are all welcome to attend and you are all our guests at this meeting.
Cocktails are available at the hotel bar before the meeting but the meeting is in another room and is a much more formal setting than the typical forum meeting.

One other important topic that will be discussed is the recreational reporting system of NMFS, and the importance of reporting in that system. The US fleet never catches our quota, and we often barter it away to other countries. ICCAT may not allow this much longer so it is important to reserve the recreational quota now and in the future in the event the US is forced to accept a quota which is more in line with what we catch. Remember, the fish you catch off our coast rarely ever venture out of the US Exclusive Economic Zone, so our lead in swordfish management can go a long way in protecting the North East Atlantic Stock which we fish.

We can't do it without your help.

Come join us.

Meeting is at 7:00 Tuesday at the Howard Johnsons in Deerfield Beach next to the Pier.
Come a little early, parking is tight so show up about 6:00 and have a cocktail with us in the hotel bar.

[Mike]

It might be a good idea to be wearing a name tag? I have created one for the SE Swordfish Club. Just something I whipped up a while back. Let me know who wants one and I'll try to print them up before the meeting, other we will just write out names in marker for those that want to wear one.

[hannaman]

Mike, make up one for me, I'll be there.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by hannaman

Mike, make up one for me, I'll be there.

Done. I'll see you there.

[Capt. Q]

I can't make it. Too short of notice guys!!! It sounds too good to miss. I may show up at 9 if it is still going on...

Give me a report in the morning.

Have fun

Q

[JahMussa]

I'll be there tonight....

-Tek
Reel Pro Shop

[RiskTaker]

Longline catching of Swordfish is likely the way I have eaten most of mine, to date. Please permit me to speak my mind! I have lived here in So. FLa. since 1965, still young at 40, but needing to motivate and enjoy OUR resources. I have conscientiously refrained from fishing and/or eating Atlantic based Swordfish for a L-aw-aw-aw-ng t-i-m-e. My appetite for local swordfish grows strong now. I am very excited because it seems that the population of Swordfish is back to sustainable masses along So. fla. GREAT! FINALLY! KEEP IT GOING! (And thanks to efforts to maneuver through bio-exstinction) We need abundant fish species on our coastline for our residents to par-take: especially for the individual property owners that pay, a Ka-chung, of the county taxes every year. I want to fish here, and catch something without exorbitant effort; Not to necessarily jaunt off to the Bahamas, with fish licensing du-joure... $150 $300, pick a number... per visit, per year, per month... yada yada yada. We must not over-take our consumable resources; but we deserve, and reserve to decide what a quality life is all about. Fishing locally, and catching, a take, for my family is where I need to stand. There is basically too much pressure with so many people demanding the same resources. (Don't misunderstand: I strongly encourage the Swordfishing Central strories and par-taking of local consumables with networking among single-liners)..

The main point I would like to make is: I do not support and/or want to re-permit long-line fishing practices to resume along the Gold Coast. This is an urban area with many resident sport fishermen: imagine (on a map) a two-inch band of people fishing a one inch band of productive coastline. The pressure is already formidable without the help of commercial crews, with highly refined techniques, to make it worthwhile for their investment. I am a freedom-fighter; however; when the pressure is on, decisions are made. Locals are to enjoy life; commercial "longline" fishers must venture a little further from the population density. That is a piece of my mind. Sincerely, RiskTaker

[Mike]

It was great meeting everyone last night. Meetings like last night are definitely worthwhile for the community. It was great to be with a bunch of fisherman that feel so strongly about this industry and that want to protect it. Bobby did a great job in explaining where we are in our efforts to have proper reporting. I have some idea’s where I think I can help make reporting easier :lol:

Tight Lines,

Mike

[TimmyTightLines]

Is there a meeting this Tuesday Feb 3? If so where and when.