We need to move quick on agreeing on something as they are moving forward with recreational IFQs as quick as they can.
I would like to be able to provide a viable alternative plan to the regulators and something for the Gulf recreational anglers to get behind.
With today's technology, anyone can purchase and download a concert ticket then print the ticket on their own computer. Then to gain access to the concert, the person at the gate scans the barcode on your ticket, validating it and giving you admittance. The information goes into the system that that particular seat has been granted admission, and will prohibit anyone else from gaining admittance (say if you printed 2 copies at home and gave one to a friend). And, at the end of the day, the manager know EXACTLY how many people came the concert, which seats they sat in, how many came through which gate, etc. etc. etc.
The same thing could happen here; when the fishermen get on the boat (private rec, charter, or headboat), the captain asks for everyone's fishing license (which he should do anyways). He then uses his smart phone to scan the barcode on each license, which "validates" that license to go catch red snapper. Then, when they come back into cell range, the captain transmits up to the server and reports the catch relative to each license; 0, 1, or 2 (or 4 for Texas waters). If the catches aren't reported that day, then that fisherman's license goes into suspension and can't be activated to go fishing again until the catch is reported or the issue is resolved. Once the catch is reported, the license is deactivated and eligible for reactivation starting at 12:01 AM the next day (to prevent multiple daily bag limits for each license).
In states such as Florida where the customer on a charter is not required to have a fishing license, have the captain scan his license for however many fishermen are going fishing that day. The fish are not tied to individual licenses, just the captain's but the end result is the same, and the captain is building a catch history for his boat.
I think that peer pressure would be huge to comply with the reporting requirement since; 1) they are participating in the process that will actually provide viable, groundtruthable data, and 2) if you don't report, your license is suspended for snapper fishing, so you might as well go ahead and report! 3) It builds a database that shows how many fishermen went fishing out of what ports on what days and how many fish they caught. How can you get any more accountable than that? 4) It doesn't discriminate between fishermen based on what boat they fish on.
The information derived could be invaluable to fisheries managers to make informed decisions.
This will provide an accurate accounting for state water catches outside of federal season as well, so would be a year-round project here in Texas (and now Louisiana apparently). Crabtree stated that even if we go to a "0" day season, we could still potentially exceed our allocation due to state water catches. (Yes, he REALLY said that). I believe that the numbers for Texas charter and private recs are artificially low - this could be a mechanism to provide more accurate information that ACTUALLY reflects reality. With the other Gulf states going non-compliant, this type of system, if coordinated between the states could provide invaluable ammunition (data) to fight the good fight here.
I am working on getting an EFP approved, if nothing else, for reporting state water red snapper catches since it looks as though we may have a "0" day season. It's worth a try, is it not? I think so.
If they go to IFQs or fish tags FIRST, then the fish apportioned to those programs will be based on the egregiously flawed data and will result in a predetermined amount of fish landed that has absolutely NOTHING to do with historical landings or reality. A Texas Charterboat Cooperative IFQ Program based on the existing numbers would be an unmitigated disaster for Texas CFH captains and their customers for example.
Ready! Shoot! Aim! THAT is an "accountable and sustainable" way to go?
I think not.
I would like to be able to provide a viable alternative plan to the regulators and something for the Gulf recreational anglers to get behind.
With today's technology, anyone can purchase and download a concert ticket then print the ticket on their own computer. Then to gain access to the concert, the person at the gate scans the barcode on your ticket, validating it and giving you admittance. The information goes into the system that that particular seat has been granted admission, and will prohibit anyone else from gaining admittance (say if you printed 2 copies at home and gave one to a friend). And, at the end of the day, the manager know EXACTLY how many people came the concert, which seats they sat in, how many came through which gate, etc. etc. etc.
The same thing could happen here; when the fishermen get on the boat (private rec, charter, or headboat), the captain asks for everyone's fishing license (which he should do anyways). He then uses his smart phone to scan the barcode on each license, which "validates" that license to go catch red snapper. Then, when they come back into cell range, the captain transmits up to the server and reports the catch relative to each license; 0, 1, or 2 (or 4 for Texas waters). If the catches aren't reported that day, then that fisherman's license goes into suspension and can't be activated to go fishing again until the catch is reported or the issue is resolved. Once the catch is reported, the license is deactivated and eligible for reactivation starting at 12:01 AM the next day (to prevent multiple daily bag limits for each license).
In states such as Florida where the customer on a charter is not required to have a fishing license, have the captain scan his license for however many fishermen are going fishing that day. The fish are not tied to individual licenses, just the captain's but the end result is the same, and the captain is building a catch history for his boat.
I think that peer pressure would be huge to comply with the reporting requirement since; 1) they are participating in the process that will actually provide viable, groundtruthable data, and 2) if you don't report, your license is suspended for snapper fishing, so you might as well go ahead and report! 3) It builds a database that shows how many fishermen went fishing out of what ports on what days and how many fish they caught. How can you get any more accountable than that? 4) It doesn't discriminate between fishermen based on what boat they fish on.
The information derived could be invaluable to fisheries managers to make informed decisions.
This will provide an accurate accounting for state water catches outside of federal season as well, so would be a year-round project here in Texas (and now Louisiana apparently). Crabtree stated that even if we go to a "0" day season, we could still potentially exceed our allocation due to state water catches. (Yes, he REALLY said that). I believe that the numbers for Texas charter and private recs are artificially low - this could be a mechanism to provide more accurate information that ACTUALLY reflects reality. With the other Gulf states going non-compliant, this type of system, if coordinated between the states could provide invaluable ammunition (data) to fight the good fight here.
I am working on getting an EFP approved, if nothing else, for reporting state water red snapper catches since it looks as though we may have a "0" day season. It's worth a try, is it not? I think so.
If they go to IFQs or fish tags FIRST, then the fish apportioned to those programs will be based on the egregiously flawed data and will result in a predetermined amount of fish landed that has absolutely NOTHING to do with historical landings or reality. A Texas Charterboat Cooperative IFQ Program based on the existing numbers would be an unmitigated disaster for Texas CFH captains and their customers for example.
Ready! Shoot! Aim! THAT is an "accountable and sustainable" way to go?
I think not.