BasicPatrick
05-16-2005, 03:27 PM
To all members,
Once again I must ask you to take 5 minutes of your time to stand up for yourself. The Ma State gov't has begun the process of forming a budget for the upcoming fiscal year and it appears that the MA Division of Marine Fisheries is about to face another round of severe budget cuts.
Current budget proposals from both the Governor's Office and the MA House of Representatives will cause the DMF to end some very important programs and lay off even more employees, again. The Recreational Fisheries Program of DMF is already 53% smaller than it was only 5 years ago and overall, the budget for DMF is at the level that it was in 1988.
At this critical time in fisheries management when the emphasis on reliable science will determine where, when and what we fish for, having the only source of unbiased science be yet again reduced in a significant manner might be devastating to the recreational public.
The Governor's Office has released it's version of the budget and it does not have enough money to even cover existing salaries. Of the thousands of line items in the budget, the MA DMF is only one of about 50 that is being cut. This makes sense to some of your recreational representatives because we are acutely aware that high ranking members of the Governor's Cabinet would like to see DMF work transferred to the Office of Coastal Zone Management where MPA's or No fishing Zones will be the strategy. If the governor's bill was to be approved it would cause layoffs and severe cuts to the services that are provided by MA DMF.
The MA House of Representatives have also released their own budget and it claims to "level fund" the MA DMF however the reality is that there has been an 8-10% cost of living increase in the last year and that means that the house budget is an 8-10% cut. This budget will also cause severe cuts in MA DMF services.
I have become aware that two very very important striped bass programs will have to shut down if these budget cuts go through. Dealer sampling in the MA commercial striped bass fishery will be much reduced and the carcass collection study of striped bass will end. In addition, the sample size of the MRFSS program will be reduced, causing greater uncertainty in the recreational catch statistics that are generated and used for management decisions. As of right now there is only one single biologist working on anadromous fish, (River Herring included), what happens when monitoring this important resource is gone. I think you get my point.
The MA State Senate is meeting all week to formulate their own budget proposal. Please call your Senator, Please call the governor's Office and tell them that you want the DMF fully funded (line items 2330-0120; 2330-0121; 2330-0100).
Remind them of how much you spend on fishing.
Remind them that you vote.
Thank you
Patrick Paquette
MSBA Gov't Affairs
Once again I must ask you to take 5 minutes of your time to stand up for yourself. The Ma State gov't has begun the process of forming a budget for the upcoming fiscal year and it appears that the MA Division of Marine Fisheries is about to face another round of severe budget cuts.
Current budget proposals from both the Governor's Office and the MA House of Representatives will cause the DMF to end some very important programs and lay off even more employees, again. The Recreational Fisheries Program of DMF is already 53% smaller than it was only 5 years ago and overall, the budget for DMF is at the level that it was in 1988.
At this critical time in fisheries management when the emphasis on reliable science will determine where, when and what we fish for, having the only source of unbiased science be yet again reduced in a significant manner might be devastating to the recreational public.
The Governor's Office has released it's version of the budget and it does not have enough money to even cover existing salaries. Of the thousands of line items in the budget, the MA DMF is only one of about 50 that is being cut. This makes sense to some of your recreational representatives because we are acutely aware that high ranking members of the Governor's Cabinet would like to see DMF work transferred to the Office of Coastal Zone Management where MPA's or No fishing Zones will be the strategy. If the governor's bill was to be approved it would cause layoffs and severe cuts to the services that are provided by MA DMF.
The MA House of Representatives have also released their own budget and it claims to "level fund" the MA DMF however the reality is that there has been an 8-10% cost of living increase in the last year and that means that the house budget is an 8-10% cut. This budget will also cause severe cuts in MA DMF services.
I have become aware that two very very important striped bass programs will have to shut down if these budget cuts go through. Dealer sampling in the MA commercial striped bass fishery will be much reduced and the carcass collection study of striped bass will end. In addition, the sample size of the MRFSS program will be reduced, causing greater uncertainty in the recreational catch statistics that are generated and used for management decisions. As of right now there is only one single biologist working on anadromous fish, (River Herring included), what happens when monitoring this important resource is gone. I think you get my point.
The MA State Senate is meeting all week to formulate their own budget proposal. Please call your Senator, Please call the governor's Office and tell them that you want the DMF fully funded (line items 2330-0120; 2330-0121; 2330-0100).
Remind them of how much you spend on fishing.
Remind them that you vote.
Thank you
Patrick Paquette
MSBA Gov't Affairs