HOUSTON – A salvage crew working to raise the tug baot that sank in the Houston Ship Channel recovered what is believed to be the vessel’s missing crewmember Thursday.

The victim, a man, was found deceased by divers from TNT Marine, a salvage company hired to dive on the vessel early this afternoon.

The command center at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a call at 10:30 p.m., Wednesday, stating that the 56-foot tug boat had sank in the shipping channel near the Sims Bayou turning basin with five people on board. Four of the five were recovered from the water by good Samaritan vessels and then transported to a local hospital by EMS. The four men displayed symptoms of hypothermia. One crew member, however, had remained missing.

The cause of death is under investigation by the County Medical Examiner’s Office. The incident itself is under investigation by the Coast Guard and local authorities.

The shipping channel remains closed from the Sims Bayou turning basin to the Vopak facility until the vessel is salvaged and relocated.

 

            Mathews recently decided to do something about the attack the White House has launched against the Recreational Fishing Industry.

 

            “I have been in love with fishing all my life and I have dedicated the last ten years to building up my tackle shop,” he said.  “I want Superior Bait and Tackle to be here when these people are gone.”

           

          The “people” Mathews is talking about is the White House-created Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force.  Customers of Superior Bait and Tackle are lining up to fill out post cards addressed to members of the Louisiana congressional delegation that say in part:

 

            Recreational fishing has been an important part of the good life in America

            ever since our country was founded. The right to catch fish recreationally is an

            important right for every American family. Unfortunately that right is being threatened

            by misguided federal officials in the name of conservation of our natural

            resources. They could not be more wrong. Recreational fishermen are the original

            conservationists and they provide a million jobs and generate $125 billion

            each year in support of a large and important industry in our country that serves

            over 60 million fishermen.

            I urge you to do everything you possibly can to protect my right to go fishing.

 

            The task force has shown complete disregard and a total lack of understanding when it comes to Recreational Fishing, according to Mathews.  “Our industry employs a million people serving over 60 million fresh and salt water anglers coast to coast.  It is ridiculous to just sit back and allow a few uninformed folks in Washington D.C. to attack us at a time like this.  They must be stopped.”

 

            The primary concern of Recreational Fishermen is that the administration’s task force released a report in September that basically ignored extensive input from the sport fishing community.  Worst of all, according to Mathews, the Recreational Fishing Industry’s concerns were lumped in with those of commercial fishermen. 

           

            “Obviously the commission members are people who have never been fishing in their lives,” said Mathews.  “Their goal is to create no-fishing zones all across the country.  The environmental groups were quoted in the report verbatim while key points submitted by our industry were completely ignored.”

 

            According to Mathews 97 percent of the total fish harvested from U.S. waters is taken by commercial fishermen.  Commercial fishing produces only $103 billion in annual revenue while the completely separate three percent share pulled in by

Recreational fishermen and women produces $125 billion each year. 

 

            “The anti-fishing/environmental groups were successful in California because they caught the Recreational Fishing Industry off guard,” said Mathews.  “Our hope is to organize the locally owned and operated tackle shops and flood Washington D.C. with post cards this summer.”   

 

            Mathews explained he is also hoping to encourage wholesalers in the Recreational Fishing Industry to help him and his fellow retailers mail postcards to congressmen and senators that have been signed by our customers between March 15 and June 15.  “We must mail millions of postcards to Washington all on the same day to maximize the impact,” he said. 

 

            Meanwhile, the second phase of the federal task force’s charge is to develop a framework for zoning that may permanently close vast areas of fishing waters nationwide.  Locally Lake Cataouatche and the Davis Pond Project are among the targeted areas, according to Mathews.  “Under the government plan these hot bass fishing areas will become Mandatory Protection Areas (MPAs).  That means no fishing and no boats on these waters.”  

 

            Recreational fishermen are also very concerned about new federal limits on red snapper.  The new limit being contemplated is one per person per day and a 30-day season which will make it very difficult for fishing guides to make a living.  With the present daily limit of two snapper per person per day people catch their limit in 20 minutes and then they cannot get away from them the rest of the day, according to Mathews. 

 

            “We are definitely on the side of the fish.  Nobody wants there to be more mature female snapper for brood stock in the Gulf of Mexico than we do, but there are sensible ways to achieve these goals without killing our Recreational Fishing Industry,” said Mathews.  “Two years ago Congress and the Council agreed that the science they are relying on for data is wrong and they put a moratorium on new regulations.  Now the council is ignoring the legislation.

                                               

            “These significant changes in U.S. policy direction are the result of a 90-day fire drill process ordered by the White House,” said Mathews.  “People who simply want to take their kids fishing deserve better from their government than that.”

 

            For more on The Rod and Reel Revolution go to: SuperiorTackle.com

IRVINE, Calif. USA – October 5, 2009 – A recently published administration document outlines a structure that could result in closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas across America. The White House created an Interagency Oceans Policy Task Force in June and gave them only 90 days to develop a comprehensive federal policy for all U.S. coastal, ocean and Great Lakes waters.  Under the guise of ‘protecting’ these areas, the current second phase of the Task Force direction is to develop zoning which may permanently close vast areas of fishing waters nationwide. This is to be completed by December 9, 2009.

Dave Pfeiffer, President of Shimano American Corporation explained, “In spite of extensive submissions from the recreational fishing community to the Task Force in person and in writing, they failed to include any mention of the over one million jobs or the 6o million anglers which may be affected by the new policies coast to coast.  Input from the environmental groups who want to put us off the water was adopted   into   the   report   verbatim – the key points we submitted as an industry were ignored.”

Recreational fishing generates a $125 billion annual economy in the United States and supports jobs in every state according to government figures.   Through the Sport Fish Restoration program, anglers have provided more than $5 billion through excise taxes on fishing tackle to fishery conservation and education for decades.

In addition to the economic aspects, anglers lead the nation in volunteer conservation efforts on behalf of   improving   fish habitat, water quality and related environmental areas.  “There was no mention of the fishery conservation efforts which anglers have led for over 50 years in every state – an environmental success story that has no equal in the world”, said Phil Morlock, Director, Environmental Affairs for Shimano. “The Task Force did not make any distinction between the dramatic differences between harmful commercial fishing harvest methods and recreational fishing, even though we spelled it out for them in detail,” added Morlock.

Claiming to be the result of a public consultation process the report states, “Having considered a broad range of public comments, this report reflects the requests and concerns of all interested parties.” 

  The original White House memo and not surprisingly the Task Force report contains multiple references to developing a national policy where Great Lakes and coastal regions are managed, “consistent with international law, including customary international law as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” - a 300-page treaty the U.S. has never ratified.

“We question what implications there will be for state authority and jurisdiction in the Great Lakes and coastal regions if the U.S. adopts the U.N. Treaty,” said Pfeiffer.  

The report makes it clear that future authority for implementing the policy for coastal and inland waters will fall under White House jurisdiction with a new National Ocean Council comprised of over 20 federal agencies at Cabinet Secretary or Deputy Secretary level. No reference to Congressional   jurisdiction is indicated.

“This significant change in U.S. policy direction is the result of a 90-day fire drill process as ordered by the President that, not surprisingly, lacks balance, clarity and quality in the end product,” said Morlock. “People who simply want to take their kids fishing on public waters deserve better from their government,” he added.

Shimano is joining with other members of the recreational fishing industry to urge anglers to contact their members of Congress and the administration to request this process be required to adopt the economic, conservation and social contributions of recreational fishing as key elements of the policy. It is critical that we ensure Congressional oversight and state jurisdiction and management continues.  

E-letters can be sent to the administration and members of Congress by visiting KeepAmericaFishing.org. The future of fishing is in your hands.