On Wednesday, Feb. 24, fisher men, women and children, held a rally in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate against the negative effects of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and show their dismay about fisheries management in general. One local captain details the experience in words and pictures.
“I boarded a charter bus at South Jersey Marina at 7 a.m. along with 50 plus others; commercial, charter, recreation and others in the marine industry field. We were very fortunate. Steve Spagnola of Sea Tow in Cape May took it on his own to organize a charter bus for the rally in Washington. Not only did he get a bus but he solicited support from local marinas, organizations, associations, a fishing Web-site and businesses that are directly effected by unfair fisheries laws.
“All these groups stepped up to the occasion and kicked in money for the trip and came through big time, paying for the bus, lunch, an after the trip get together, making the trip free for all those that made the effort to go to the rally.
“Even though I disagree with the RFA on the New Jersey Saltwater Fishing License issue, I gave them my full support on the rally. They were dead right and did an excellent job on organizing and running the rally in Washington. Ray Bogan did an excellent job of running the show and maintaining a good flow.