05-18-2010, 07:49 PM
I know there are those who are interested in the fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana. I found this article on the NAFC site and thought I would share:
Oil Spill Update
The Gulf Coast’s Legendary Inshore Fishery In Peril
By: NAF Editor Ryan Gilligan
|May 17, 2010 - Despite the magnitude of the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) points out that most of the Gulf region’s fisheries are still open to anglers at this time.
“According to the oil spill response Joint Information Center and NOAA, the federal waters closed to recreational and commercial fishing is slightly more than 7 percent of the Gulf of Mexico. This means that 93 percent of the Gulf is open and available for fishing!” says ASA CEO Mike Nussman. “In fact, the vast majority of Gulf waters has not been affected by the oil spill and continues to support productive recreational fishing and tourism activities. State and local tourism and natural resource agencies’ websites clearly states that fishable waters are open and ready for business. What we don’t want – and can’t afford as a nation and as an industry - is economic collapse in the Gulf region as self-fulfilling prophesy.”
The ASA says it’s closely monitoring to ensure that recreational fishing and the fishing industry are accounted for as the process evolves. In the meantime, officials say the organization hasn’t lost sight of other angling threats, such as the potential closure of all bottom fishing in the South Atlantic.
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Oil Spill Update
The Gulf Coast’s Legendary Inshore Fishery In Peril
By: NAF Editor Ryan Gilligan
|May 17, 2010 - Despite the magnitude of the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) points out that most of the Gulf region’s fisheries are still open to anglers at this time.
“According to the oil spill response Joint Information Center and NOAA, the federal waters closed to recreational and commercial fishing is slightly more than 7 percent of the Gulf of Mexico. This means that 93 percent of the Gulf is open and available for fishing!” says ASA CEO Mike Nussman. “In fact, the vast majority of Gulf waters has not been affected by the oil spill and continues to support productive recreational fishing and tourism activities. State and local tourism and natural resource agencies’ websites clearly states that fishable waters are open and ready for business. What we don’t want – and can’t afford as a nation and as an industry - is economic collapse in the Gulf region as self-fulfilling prophesy.”
The ASA says it’s closely monitoring to ensure that recreational fishing and the fishing industry are accounted for as the process evolves. In the meantime, officials say the organization hasn’t lost sight of other angling threats, such as the potential closure of all bottom fishing in the South Atlantic.
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