The "reason" is they want to stop overfishing, but the way they are proposing it is to stop ALL fishing.
In earlier articles they mentioned why this is could be an issue
moreQuote:
President Barack Obama quietly created the task force with a June 12 memo. Staffed with "senior policy-level officials" from Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, Homeland Security and other departments and agencies, the task force provides a structure and a mechanism for closures of sport fisheries not only in the blue and coastal waters of oceans, but inland, starting with the Great Lakes.
Of course, that is not the stated intent. The President said it was created "To succeed in protecting the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes, the United States needs to act within a unifying framework under a clear national policy, including a comprehensive, ecosystem-based framework for the long-term conservation and use of our resources."
Yet those with interests in recreational fishing say early indications are that many in the administration want to take it in the direction of recreational fishing closures under the guise of better protecting those resources. They claim evidence of that can be seen in the task force's Interim Report, released on Sept. 10.
"We are completely baffled as to why the task force failed to acknowledge or include any mention of the key aspects of recreational fishing that were presented to them in detail on more than one occasion," said Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano American Corp./Shimano Canada Ltd. "The significant number of jobs and the economy that more than 60 million American anglers support, and the major conservation efforts by people who fish in all regions of the country, were completely ignored.
"No distinction between the obvious dramatic differences between recreational fishing and commercial harvest methods was made. This is the result of a 90-day fire-drill process, as ordered by the President that, not surprisingly, lacks balance, clarity, and quality in the end product.
This has nothing to do with healthcare, Frib just wants to put his hyperbole for healthcare on every topic.
It has everything to do with JOBS and the ECONOMY. Why do they want to think about across the board governmental action that will negatively impact jobs now is beyond my comprehension.
Quote:
Recreational and commercial fishing is big business in the United States, worth about $185 billion in sales in 2006, NOAA said. Fishing supports more than 2 million jobs, the agency said.
Although many species are overfished, there is only one marine fish species on the endangered list, the smalltooth sawfish in waters off the coast of Florida.
"We have more species that are recovering than are declining, so in terms of the ones we know enough about, the U.S. is actually doing a pretty good job," Cowan said.
It is a good thing that this president is so open and honest with all of us and is able to effectively manage all sorts of crisis.