Thank you

[Willy]

This land is your land (no it isn't)
This land is my land (liberal government)
From California, and the New York island
From the redwood forest, to the Gulf stream waters...
This land once belonged to you and me.


Great job all on fighting this one out.

Civil disobediance may be our last and only hope.
A massive protest after any closures take effect...hundreds of kayaks, boats, divers, fishermen go right into the new closure areas and fish fish fish in a show of force.

See you on the water,
Willy

[Useful Idiot]

We knew we were doomed from the get go, but if it wasn't for guys like Paul, MJ, Tyler, Chris, Billy V, you can be sure it would've been a lot worse. And the numbers of kayak fishermen that showed up to these meetings was unbelievable. Private boaters on other sites are admitting how indebted they are to us kayak fishermen for representing.

Let's hope the FGC is receptive to changes in the map. Perhaps a very specific email campaign to the FGC members is in order? I mean specific geography changes. Save the "closures are unfair" type of rhetoric, I think a direct, specific, united request for a select number of changes to the map would have the best chance of any impact. Thoughts from the pros?

[dos ballenas]

Originally Posted by Useful Idiot

I think a direct, specific, united request for a select number of changes to the map would have the best chance of any impact. Thoughts from the pros?

to everyone who made it to LA.

Only a few simple changes would need to happen. Allow pelagics is on the top of my list...

[tylerdurden]

Originally Posted by Useful Idiot
I think a direct, specific, united request for a select number of changes to the map would have the best chance of any impact. Thoughts from the pros?

I agree. None of us are pros though, pros get paid. We had support for our lj and scripps suggestions. Most seemed to think they were minor and reasonable. Meg just thought it was drastic. A final fuck you to all of us.

[habanero]

Thank you Paul for your unrelenting sacrifice for this relatively small group of "consumptives".

It's not hard to imagine how much worse things would have turned out if the kayak community had not applied as much pressure as we did

We could have lost all access to what I consider the crown jewel for kayak fishing.
If restrictions on motorized boats only were on the table, I wonder what the opposition landscape would look like?

[newguy01]

i thank you everybody that was on the meeting yesterday....

hrrr hrrr take all what you can and leave no prisoner hrrr hrrrr

[Billy V]

I'm only going to make a very brief statement regarding MLPA, and it pertains to "The People" who stood tall and fought for your rights.

I offer a sincere Thank You to every member of the Kayak and Spear Fishing Community that stepped up and fought to preserve our sport, and rights in the face of insurmountable odds.

You know who you are, and the list of names is too long for me to write this afternoon. I am taking some time to recover, and digest the information.

-------------------------------
If you look at the before and after, Map "C" and BRTF Option 2 for San Diego, I think you will be able to clearly see where gains were made.
-If you delve deeper into the allowed uses in the smca (blue areas) you should be able to conclude the outcome.

The gains made in these areas against strong opposition were hard fought, and we want to preserve them. If possible, improve them.

Thanks Guys. Lets take some time to unwind and go do what we love.

Billy V

[JoeBeck]

Agree, thanks everyone for all your work. We may have not got the outcome we desired but it is a whole lot better than it would have been if we didn't fight this F'd up process.

Time to enjoy some fishing, it is all currently open so get out there.

[B Slate]

Thanks to Paul, MJ and all the other stakeholders on our side. Thanks to everyone who faught the fight, wrote letters, informed others and came to meetings. We got screwed but if we did not show up the only place we would be able to fish would be Piers and military zones.

[brandonplum]

I don't think civil disobedience will do it, but I'll start there. Also, remember to write to your elected officials and let them know that you'll be voting against them because they failed to protect our rights.

I've taken three oaths in my life. One I reaffirm every Sunday at church. I'm a Lutheran and I believe in Jesus. Second, I have an oath to my wife, which I've upheld for 13 years and hope to uphold for 13 more at least. And finally, as a Soldier, I've sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.

If only our elected officials would uphold the Constitution as well. Get ready for the continuing onslaught of degradation of your civil rights. Guns, hunting, any outdoor activities other than bird watching, anything that burns gasoline in the environment, anything that contributes to global warming.

Our fishing areas are only a small part of the changes that are occurring around us. At some point, we as outdoorsmen and women need to band together. Hunters, hikers, motorcyclists, anyone who does not believe in total preservation of resources needs to, MUST, band together. Otherwise, they will know us off one hobby at a time.

We need to think mid term elections and let the government know that we are interested and are willing to make a stand.

We need a coalition of groups to support each other. Without a significant number of voters we have no power.

Anyhow, let me know where to protest. Please don't hate me for the bit of soapbox bs at the start there.

[so cal shaggy]

Paul, it is we that all say thank you to you. You agreed to participate in a process that you knew would be difficult and no way to win but instead best case scenario we would still be able to fish some areas. I would also like to thank all of the rest of you. I forgot how tightly knit the kayak fishing community was. You all make me proud to be able to share the waters with all of you. You all have my eternal gratitude and the gratitude of the spearfishing community as well. We stood together shoulder to shoulder, kept each other motivated assisted each other even if we did not use the area that needed help and above all we never allowed wedges to be driven between our two groups. There were attempts in some of the shapes to sway some groups to adopt a certain shape in a specific area but they could not make us sell out each other. We now need to take some time to relax and lick our wounds. We should try to organize a joint kayak/spearo get together at either a beach location or other venue. Nothing specific just a gathering of the two groups to share stories, introduce each other to the others activity and just share the ocean together.

[zenspearo]

Paul,

I echo everyone in saying that you are a real hero in all this. Thank you for your tireless work and more importantly, guidance and strategizing.

I will go so far as to say that all of SoCal fishermen and specifically all of San Diego fishermen from all communities owe you a huge "THANK YOU". Don't want to embarrass you but it is what it is. An outsider sometimes has a better view of things than people from the inside.

You brought visibility and a huge amount of respect to the small kayakfishing clan. Spearos, H/L, bloodydeckers, and commercials are all in awe of you and your band of kayakfishermen in this fight.

Thank you again Paul.

[kurt]

We might have done better in the process if we hadn't all ceded our time to Grego to talk about his halibut!