Boat U.S. - January 2008 - (Page 8) Striped Bass, Red Drum Protected 1 set of Bennett Trim Tabs.” 1973 Seabird “34 Years, 3 Generations, In 1973 our grandfather bought this Seabird Last year, with our dad’s help, we started a complete redesign and rebuild. The motor, deck, transom, steering, instrumentation– everything was replaced. Except for one, the original Bennett Trim Tabs. After 34 years of saltwater use, we hooked up the battery and they worked perfectly. – Cameron Bradbeer (22) and Chris Bradbeer (18) Reddington Beach, FL Red drum, also known as redfish, are strictly gamefish now, in federal waters. With a stroke of the pen on Oct. 20, President Bush accomplished what sportfishing organizations have been advocating for decades. He signed a presidential executive order putting striped bass and red drum off limits to commercial harvest, thereby reserving the popular Atlantic and Gulf Coast species for sportfishing only. The ban applies in federal waters, or within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, out 200 miles. Sportfishing groups hope the action will spur states to adopt similar rules in their own waters, out to three miles from shore in the Atlantic and nine miles on the Gulf of Mexico. “With this action, the president has secured a legacy for recreational anglers and conservationists who have worked so hard on behalf of our marine resources,” said Walter W. Fondren III, chairman of Coastal Conservation Association. “When CCA began to work on recovering red drum 30 years ago in Texas, we never imagined an event like this would ever be possible.” Intense overfishing in the 1970s and 1980s nearly decimated red drum, also called channel bass and redfish, as well as striped bass, known as rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay region. The decline led recreational anglers to push for a halt on commercial harvest of these species. In federal waters, red drum harvest has been banned in since 1987 and striped bass fishing since 1990 through management measures enacted by the National Photo by Scott Summerlatte call or visit www.BennettTrimTabs.com/M-tabs 954.427.1400 Marine Fisheries Service. “If and when those prohibitions are removed, this executive order would ensure that striped bass and red drum remain reserved for recreational catch as a conservation measure,” said James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Several states do prohibit the sale of these fish caught in state waters today but this presidential action is the first victory at the federal level. It directs the secretaries of Commerce and Interior to adopt gamefish regulations for the two species. It also encourages states that continue to allow commercial sale of striped bass and red drum to enact similar rules for waters under their jurisdictions. While an executive order does carry the force of law, a future president could withdraw it. Thus, a bill introduced in Congress last June by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), H.R. 2625, would enact similar restrictions by law. Four days before the president signed the executive order, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) introduced a bill that would help depressed fish stocks, particularly striped bass. H.R. 3841 would impose a moratorium on commercial harvest of menhaden, a small forage fish that is processed into fish oil and pet food. The fish is believed to be the main food source of striped bass. If passed, the ban would apply in both state and federal waters. 8 BoatU.S. Magazine January 2008 http://www.BennettTrimTabs.com/M-tabs http://www.BennettTrimTabs.com/M-tabs
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