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Attn: Mass Fisherman and Those Out of State that fish in MA

25K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Striperjim 
#1 ·
This was passed along to me through my fishing club and thought I would pass it along to you who are interested enough to act on it.


Time to Act on Massachusetts No-Fishing MPA Legislation!

Critical Committee Vote to be Held During the Afternoon of Monday, December, 12th!
Call on Legislators Now to Oppose S529!


As you know RFA, MSBA, NECCA, and SBCCA have all been working hard seeking
changes to Massachusetts bill S529 to prevent the establishment of permanent,
arbitrary No-Fishing MPAs in Massachusetts' waters.

The most recent draft of the bill has been released. Unfortunately, the bill's
sponsor, Senator Robert O'Leary (Cape and Islands) has refused to address our
concerns. S529 is still so riddled with language that will lead to the
establishment of No-Fishing MPAs, that we have no choice but to oppose the bill
and seek alternative legislation that addresses real threats such as gravel
mining and floating Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities.

The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture will be
voting on S529 next Monday, December 12th. Now is the time to let the members of
the Committee know that we are opposed to S529.

Below is a list of all the members of the Committee, their phone numbers, and
the towns the represent. Please call all of them by noon on Monday, Decemeber
12th (if you live in the district let them know that you are a constituent) and
let them know you are opposed to the bill and that you want them to vote "NO" on
S529.

While there are many problems with S529, send a simple message to the members of
the Committee that you are opposed to S529 because-
1) S529 will lead to permanent, arbitrary No-Fishing MPAs in Massachusetts waters.
2) S529 will add an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to the fishery management
process.
3) S529 will lead to the establishment of a saltwater license.

You need not get into a debate regarding the merits or fine points of the bill
with anyone you speak to. As always, be polite, give them your name and your
home town. If they ask you for more specifics about opposition to the bill, ask
them to call the RFA at 888-564-6732.
--------------------------------------------------------

STATE SENATOR
PAMELA P. RESOR
Telephone: (617) 722-1120
Fax: (617) 722-1089
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: MIDDLESEX AND WORCESTER. - Marlborough, Acton, Ayer,
Boxborough, Hudson, Littleton, Maynard, Shirley, Stow and Sudbury, precincts 2,
3 and 5, in the county of Middlesex; and Harvard, Northborough, precinct 3,
Southborough and Westborough, in the county of Worcester.


STATE SENATOR
MARC R. PACHECO
Telephone: (617) 722-1551
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: FIRST PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL. - Bridgewater, Carver, Marion,
Middleborough and Wareham, in the county of Plymouth; and Taunton, Berkley,
Dighton and Raynham, in the county of Bristol.

STATE SENATOR
STEPHEN M. BREWER
Telephone: (617) 722-1540
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: WORCESTER, HAMPDEN, HAMPSHIRE AND FRANKLIN. - Ashburnham,
Athol, Barre, Brookfield, Charlton, East Brookfield, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New
Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Rutland,
Spencer, Sturbridge, Templeton, Warren, West Brookfield and Winchendon, in the
county of Worcester; Brimfield, Holland, Monson, Palmer and Wales, in the county
of Hampden; Ware, in the county of Hampshire; and Orange and Warwick, in the
county of Franklin.

STATE SENATOR
ROBERT S. CREEDON, Jr.
Telephone: (617) 722-1200
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED- SECOND PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL. - Brockton, East Bridgewater,
precincts 1 to 3, inclusive, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson and Whitman, in the county
of Plymouth; and Easton, precincts 1 and 2, in the county of Bristol.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
FRANK ISRAEL SMIZIK
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
Telephone: 617-722-2210
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Fifteenth Norfolk. - Consisting of precincts 2, 3, 4, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the town of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
STEPHEN KULIK
Telephone: 617-722-2210
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT

DISTRICT REPRESENTED: First Franklin. - Consisting of the towns of Conway,
Deerfield, Leverett, Montague, New Salem, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Wendell and
Whately, all in the county of Franklin; and precincts A and D, of the town of
Belchertown, and the towns of Chesterfield, Goshen, Huntington, Pelham,
Williamsburg and Worthington, all in the county of Hampshire.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
DOUGLAS W. PETERSEN
617-722-2637
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Eighth Essex. - Consisting of precinct 4 of ward 3, and
precinct 4 of ward 4, of the city of Lynn, and the towns of Marblehead and
Swampscott, all in the county of Essex.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
WILLIAM M. STRAUS
Room 163
State House
Boston, MA 02133
Telephone: 617-722-2040
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Tenth Bristol. - Consisting of the town of Fairhaven, in
the county of Bristol; and the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester, and
precincts 3 and 6, of the town of Middleborough, all in the county of Plymouth.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
MATTHEW C. PATRICK
617-722-2090
Party Affiliation: - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Third Barnstable.--Consisting of precincts 5 and 7, of the
town of Barnstable, precincts 5 and 6, of the town of Bourne, precincts 3, 4, 7,
8 and 9, of the town of Falmouth, and precincts 2, 4 and 5, of the town of
Mashpee, all in the county of Barnstable.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
PETER V. KOCOT
(617) 722-2210
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: First Hampshire. - Consisting of the town of Montgomery,
in the county of Hampden; and the towns of Hatfield, Southampton and
Westhampton, and the city of Northampton, all in the county of Hampshire.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
MICHAEL F. RUSH
617-722-2210
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Tenth Suffolk. - Consisting of precincts 15 and 16, of the
town of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk; and precincts 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of ward 20, of the city of Boston, in
the county of Suffolk.


STATE REPRESENTATIVE
DENIS E. GUYER
617-722-2400
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Second Berkshire. - Consisting of the towns of Becket,
Cheshire, Dalton, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, New Ashford, Peru, Richmond,
Washington and Windsor, and precinct B of ward 1, of the city of Pittsfield, all
in the county of Berkshire; the towns of Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland,
Colrain, Leyden, Northfield and Shelburne, all in the county of Franklin; and
the towns of Cummington, Middlefield and Plainfield, all in the county of Hampshire.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
SUSAN WILLIAMS GIFFORD
617-722-2090
Party Affiliation - REPUBLICAN
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Second Plymouth. - Consisting of precincts 1, 2 and 3, of
the town of Bourne, in the county of Barnstable; and the towns of Carver and
Wareham, both in the county of Plymouth.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
DONALD F. HUMASON, JR.
617-722-2460
Party Affiliation - REPUBLICAN
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Fourth Hampden. - Consisting of the city of Westfield, in
the county of Hampden.

STATE SENATOR
ROBERT O'LEARY
Telephone: (617) 722-1570
Party Affiliation - DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: CAPE AND ISLANDS. - Barnstable, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis,
Eastham, Falmouth, precincts numbered four and seven, Harwich, Mashpee, Orleans,
Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet and Yarmouth, in the county of Barnstable;
Chilmark, Edgartown, Gay Head, Gosnold, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury, in
the county of Dukes County; and Nantucket, in the county of Nantucket.

STATE SENATOR BRUCE E. TARR
Telephone: (617) 722-1600
Party Affiliation - REPUBLICAN
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: FIRST ESSEX AND MIDDLESEX. ? Gloucester, Boxford, Essex,
Georgetown, Groveland, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Middleton,
Newbury, North Andover, precincts 2, 3, 5 and 7, Rockport, Rowley, Wenham and
West Newbury, in the county of Essex; and North Reading and Wilmington, in the
county of Middlesex.
 
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#3 ·
The recreational fishing alliance has been at the forefront of fighting the Bill by introducing the Freedom to Fish Act
RFA article

Freedom to Fish Act Building Momentum on Capitol Hill
With the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) stepping up its lobbying efforts in Washington, seven Members of Congress have recently signed onto the Freedom to Fish Act introduced by Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ-3rd).
The Freedom to Fish Act (H.R. 2890) would establish reasonable, scientifically based standards that must be met before any more no fishing marine protected areas (MPAs), i.e. marine reserves, are established off our coasts. Such closures would have a devastating impact on coastal economies and quality of life for millions of recreational fishermen with little, if any, conservation benefit.
Consistent with sound marine conservation, the Freedom to Fish Act recognizes the social and economic importance of recreational fishing and establishes standards that must be met before no fishing MPAs are implemented in federal waters.
In a demonstration of strong, bi-partisan support, Representatives Rob Andrews (NJ-1st), Allen Boyd (FL-2nd), Barbara Cubin (WY), Jim Marshall (GA-3rd), George Nethercutt (WA- 5th), Mike Simpson (ID-2nd), and Dave Vitter (LA-1st) have each signed on as co-sponsors to the Freedom to Fish Act.
"History has shown us that marine fisheries problems need to be addressed on a gear by gear basis- not by creating blanket no fishing MPAs as some radical environmental groups would like to do," said Jim Donofrio, RFA Executive Director. "The Freedom to Fish Act recognizes this and would allow fishery managers to get to the real sources of overfishing."
 
#4 ·
The latest news to be found on the Massachusetts No-Fishing MPA Legislation S529 is that it cleared its first hurdle and the Bill was reported favorably by the Joint Comittee on Environment, Natural resources and agriculture. It was then referred to the Senate Ways and means committeee on December 15th 2005, accompanied by a new draft S2308 -SJ 1350 S529
 
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