There going to be a hearing on wednesday dae 29 at the division of marine fisheries in gloucester state office at 1 p.m the gillnetters are going to try to stop the emergency action that's supposed to take place we have to take action to protect these spawning cod if you cant be there then email melanie.griffin@state.ma.us and say you're in support of the closure

E-mail sent since I can't get up to Gloucester for the meeting. Thanks for the heads up.

here is the info on the meeting:
December 27, 2004

MarineFisheries Advisory



PUBLIC MEETING SEEKS COMMENTS

PRIOR TO TAKING EMERGENCY ACTION IN COD CONSERVATION ZONE –

Meeting to be held at 1PM on Wednesday, December 29th



MarineFisheries is seeking comments on emergency actions it plans to take to conserve cod stocks in a portion of state waters to be known as the Cod Conservation Zone (see map below). Please note that the Cod Conservation Zone includes all waters under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth north of 42º20’ latitude and south of 42º30’ latitude. A meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 29th (1PM) at the Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station in Gloucester (30 Emerson Ave.)



The following are the emergency actions MarineFisheries plans to take in the Cod Conservation Zone effective 0001 hours Thursday, December 30, 2004 through Monday, February 28, 2005; MarineFisheries is delaying implementation of emergency actions by one day to gather public comment:



· Gillnet prohibition: no fishing, setting, or abandoning of any gillnet in the Cod Conservation Zone;

· Commercial Fishery Limits reduced to no more than 300 lbs. of cod in possession in any 24 hour period within the Cod Conservation Zone; and

· Recreational Fishery Limits amended by implementing a 300 lb. cod limit per vessel regardless of the number of persons or anglers onboard.

· Vessel possession limit would be enforced for anyone fishing or seen fishing in the Cod Conservation Zone. Vessels only transiting this area would not be subject to the 300 lb. limit.







MarineFisheries is taking these actions due to intense fishing (commercial and recreational) on a cod spawning aggregation within state waters, a conservation issue worthy of extraordinary state measures, beyond the current state and federal rules. The gillnet fishery as prosecuted in this area is resulting in excess catches that are either discarded or laid fallow in nets and the area cannot accommodate growth in the commercial and recreational fishery sectors.



For further information please visit our website at www.mass.gov/marinefisheries.

I intend to cancel my charter that day and loose a days pay or reschedule the trip if able. If I am lucky it will be blowing. This is an URGENT meeting and it is recommended as many recs whof ish cod in the winter attend and speak your mind. If you do not fish in the winter, still attend as we need to stick together. I have a problem with poundage limits as they are hard to enforce for recreational anglers and have NEVER been put in place before. I would rather see a bag limit per person as we currently have even if it needs to be reduced. These were put into place basically to show the commercial fleet we had reductions also (sound familiar?) Please pass the word on this and lets make things happen that will bennefit all users.

Respectfully,

Capt Dave Waldrip
RELENTLESS

I've sent an email but can't attend!

Could someone post a typical email that is sent tp these people. I cannot attend and would like to drop an email in support but have never been real good wording letters. Thanks

Here's what I wrote in my e-mail-simple and to the point. I hope it helps.

Hi Melanie. Unfortunately, I will be unable to make it up to Gloucester for this meeting but just wanted to send you a note indicating that I am 100% in favor of the proposed closure on Codfishing. I believe that the future of Codfishing is dependent on protecting these spawning Codfish from gillnetters. I have been rod and reel fishing for Codfish since I was a little boy and sure do enjoy taking my Father and friends out to do it on my own boat today. I hope someday to share that experience with my own children. Thank you.

here was mine:
Mrs. Griffin,
I just wanted to voice my support for the emergency cod measures you are proposing. I'm 17 and recreationally fish for cod frequently, and had the opportunity to experience some of the incredible fall cod fishing this year outside of Boston Harbor; it was the best, by far, for both size and quantity, that I have ever seen. However, upon the arrival of December 1 and the invasion of the area by commercial fishermen, the quality of the fishing absolutely plummeted. I witnessed hundreds of dead cod on the surface, tossed over the side by gillnetters to stay under their 800 lb quota; no codfish stood a chance. I have never seen such an explicit raping of the resource, and it is encouraging to see such strict and fast action by you. I see that we as recreational fishermen too, but speaking for us, as well as a young angler, I would much rather make a minor sacrifice now than to see the end of this tremendous inshore cod fishery, described by some as the best in the world, disappear into memories of the "old days."
Thank you for your efforts and you have my full support.
-Willy Goldsmith