I am so bored with the conspiracy theories.
Yes, you are right folks this is just another tax
First off ladies and gents, there is no magic permit you buy or spend 3000 dollars on. The permit has nothing to do with the RSA program and is a scientific exemption permit that is issued for any vessel, commercial, recreational or research that is harvesting fish for any purpose at any time outside of the normal regs. They existed before the RSA program and they will exist after the RSA program.
The permits are FREE.
Let me repeat this for all who STILL do not understand this program. The permits have NOTHING TO DO with the RSA program other than the state must issue it....
.FOR FREE....so you can harvest the RSA quota or do ANY OTHER TYPE OF RESEACRH OR HARVEST FOR A MILLION DIFFERENT REASONS.
What is PAID FOR is the small percentage of quota that is set aside each year to fund research. No one was forced to buy it, no one ever bitched when only the commercial sector paid the money that funded the research and in return got to harvest those pounds and try to make back their money plus perhaps even a profit (god forbid)
No one bitched when the percentage of recreational quota was being harvested by only commercials.
This specific program has been going on since 2002 folks, thanks for joining us.
Now that we can actually have recreational fishermen harvest the very same quota they donated to fund research projects, people are all up in arms.
Now, to my cousin Bobby.
Bob, remember that slot limit study we did on several different boats throughout the state including yours back in 2006? The one where you fished a bunch of trips at different regs?
Where do you think the money came from to fund the
VERY FIRST RECREATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT???
You guessed it, the RSA program.
Wanna know where the money came from to fund two of the most recent Fluke studies that are helping contribute to the work SSFFF is doing?
You guessed it, the RSA program.
But yes, it is a conspiracy.
If you folks want, show up at the damn MAFMC meeting that has happened every year for the past 9 years and tell them you would rather have the extra 2 days or so of fishing that quota would give you if added back into the total state quota. Tell them the MILLIONS of dollars of research that has been done over the past decade was not worth your two or three frigging days of fishing. We are talking no more than 3% of the total quota (that's rec and commercial combined)
As far as Fluke goes that would mean 3% is taken off the top. If you want it back, then recs get 40% of that 3%, of which NJ gets 39% of that 40%.
That's it ladies and gents. And, this is not some"test" by the gov't to see what they can charge for since
THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT GET ONE FRIGGIN' DIME OF THE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!
So those "bastards" that are charging you are the ****ing scientists!!!!!!! You know, the universities and research facilities that are doing the science we have all been screaming for. They get 100% of the funds raised from this program
