NRCM being used to spread misinformation about saltwater fishing license

The following is a form letter from a member of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. The NRCM is urging their members and others to lobby their legislators to vote in favor of the saltwater fishing license. They are using misinformation (to put it politely) to help their cause.

Feb 8, 2010

Dear Representative McKane,

If Maine does not establish a saltwater fishing license of its own, a new federal law will require Mainers who fish recreationally in salt water to pay $15 to $25 to register with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service starting next year. All of this money will go to the general fund in Washington, D.C., instead of to Maine fisheries conservation programs, where it is desperately needed.
Maine has a choice, however. If the Maine Legislature passes "An Act To Create a Saltwater Recreational Fishing Registry" (LD 1432), Maine residents would only pay $6 and out-of-state residents would pay just $15 for a state fishing registry and the money would

help Maine's Department of Marine Resources restore habitat and rebuild fish populations.
I urge you to support LD 1432.

Sincerely,

They are again saying that alll fishermen must register. That is incorrect. Not all saltwater fishermen need to register with the federal government - only a small percentage do! These excerpts from the NOAA prove it.

1)

From the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act:

109-479
(g) RECREATIONAL FISHERIES.—
(1) FEDERAL PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall establish and implement a regionally based registry program for recreational fishermen in each of the 8 fishery management regions. The program, which shall not require a fee before January 1, 2011, shall provide for—
(A) the registration (including identification and contact information) of individuals who engage in recreational fishing—
(i) in the Exclusive Economic Zone;
(ii) for anadromous species; or
(iii) for Continental Shelf fishery resources beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone; and
(B) if appropriate, the registration (including the ownership, operator, and identification of the vessel) of vessels used in such fishing.

http://www.nero.noaa.gov/sfd/MSA_amended_20070112_FINAL.pdf

2)
From NOAA web site:

National Saltwater Angler Registry Opens on New Year’s Day
New program, part of improved data collection system, to help protect nation’s ocean resources
December 29, 2009

• Fish for or are likely to catch anadromous species in tidal and salt waters; these are fish like river herring, shad, smelt and striped bass that live in the oceans but spawn in fresh water, OR
• Fish in the federal waters more than three miles from the ocean shore or from the mouths of rivers or bays
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20091229_registry.html -

3)
NOAA press release:

Contact: Monica Allen FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
301-713-2370 Dec. 23, 2008
Monica.allen@noaa.gov
NOAA to Create Saltwater Angler Registry in 2010

If anglers are not licensed or registered by a state that has been exempted and want to fish in federal waters, they will be required to register with NOAA. They must also register if they fish in tidal waters for migratory fish such as striped bass and salmon that spawn in rivers and spend their adult lives in estuaries and oceans. However, those who fish recreationally for these migratory species inland of tidal waters need not register, according to the final rule.

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/mediacenter/docs/saltwater_angler_registry.pdf

Also, the NRCM is saying federal registry money will go into the general fund. Wrong again. It will go to NOAA to be used only for administering the registry. NO registry money can be used for enforcement or anything else.

The NRCM should do a little more research to make sure its information is correct before embarking on an "action campaign" such as this.