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Al Higgins is a long time columnist for the
Kingston Newspaper,
the Freeman, and a first time novelist, The B.A.M.B.I Syndrome,
is a fictional account of the anti gun movement that probably
will be grabbed up by some producer and made into a movie.
You will not put it down once you begin reading it.
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Do you remember
when catching a big striped bass in the Hudson River was a rare event?
Do you recall when a thirty pound fish was the talk of the town and
a forty pounder had no problem making the newspaper? Those days were
just a decade or so ago, and we now enjoy a vibrant, growing stock of
striped bass. But, if the boys in Albany get their way, we could very
well soon witness the loss of our great striped bass fishery.
Back on June 1st
of last year the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)
Striped Bass Fisheries Board held a meeting at the Central Hudson offices
in Kingston to discuss the future of striped bass in the Hudson. One
hundred or so concerned citizens showed up for the meeting and the overall
consensus of the group was that the resource should be managed to provide
recreational opportunities, not food. The ASMFC promised to take all
comments under consideration and to keep area Hudson River striped bass
enthusiasts informed as to their decisions. They went away, things in
the valley quieted down, and with this year's annual run of striped
bass less than three months away, our own New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has decided to investigate the possibility
of opening the Hudson River to commercial striped bass fishing!
The DEC, under
the direction of Governor Pataki, formed the Temporary Advisory Committee
(TAC) and charged them with the responsibility of receiving citizen
input regarding the resumption of commercial striped bass fishing in
the Hudson, between the George Washington Bridge and the Bear Mountain
Bridge, for stripers above eighteen inches in length. The TAC must make
its recommendation to DEC Commissioner John Cahill by March 1st. The
next step toward the legalized commercialized raping of the resources
involves gaining final approval from the ASMFC, and anyone who was at
the June meeting knows that such approval would not be difficult to
obtain.
So what do we do?
How are we going to prevent thousands of juvenile fish from ending up
on some fancy, uptown New York restaurant's menu? How are we going to
preserve the resource and the tens of thousands of hours of healthy
recreational fishing opportunities striped bass bring to our valley;
not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars brought into our local
economy each spring by fishermen, from across the northeast, who travel
to our waters hoping for an chance to "hang a big one!"
We still have a
chance but it's up to us to make our thoughts known. Tomorrow evening
at 7:00 o'clock, the TAC will hold a meeting at the Central Hudson office
off Route 28 at the Thruway Circle. The office is directly behind Johnson
Ford. They're coming to town to receive input. We owe it to ourselves,
our kids and the fish to show up for the meeting and let them know that
we are not going to allow them to sell off this valuable resource. Keep
in mind that our river provides fish stocks for the entire Atlantic
coast. Fish from the Hudson River are commonly found as far south as
the Carolinas and north into the Maritimes, and it makes no sense to
kill them during that vulnerable period when they're in the river to
spawn. If the DEC is bent on reducing the numbers of striped bass then
let them do it on the high seas, but not in the Hudson River Estuary.
If you have any
energy left after tomorrow evening's meeting, you may want to head over
to the DEC's Region 3 headquarters in New Paltz Wednesday evening. The
DEC is conducting meetings to gain information concerning Governor Pataki's
initiative to complete Unit Management Plans (UMPs) for all lands within
the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. The Governor's initiative is the
first comprehensive attempt by the State to complete all outstanding
plans in both parks and ensure the public's investment in the acquisition
of public lands is maximized through careful planning and implementation
of those plans. A UMP must be completed before significant new recreational
facilities such as trails, camping sites, parking areas, or boat launches
can be constructed. The format for the meeting allows for speaking to
members of the DEC planning team between five and six, after which a
brief orientation on the unit management planning process will be given.
Beginning at 6:30, the public will have an opportunity to present comments
in a public forum. If you have a computer and are interested in this
session go to www.dec.stae.ny.us/website/dlf/publands/ump/index.html.
And on a more positive
note - GO GIANTS!
