Volker Hoehne1
Member since Sep 28, 2009
Recent Comments
Re: “The MLPA Ventures North”
if you speak at these meetings and you fish, dive, kayak privat boater, or whatever, you better ask for the ITEAM or the BRTF to look up from the emails they are reading and pay attention to what your saying.... These folks do not play fair,,, just watch all the videos and watch Meg caldwell....
Re: “The MLPA Ventures North”
I spend the last three years up to my ears preparing for and participating in the Southern California MLPA "process". It has been a
I learned the following:
1. Organize and keep your members informed.
2. Regardless of what the DFG or MLPA I-Team or Ecotrust tell you, any and all information will be distributed to your hardliner opponents. For example, ECOtrust asked the fishermen to report fishing spots in a survey. Ecotrust promised me reptedly the results would be kept confidential. Within weeks of the surveys completion Surf rider and Bay keeper were using our maps against the fishermen.
3. The MLPA process is funded by private foundations who drive the time line and influence Ken Weisman.
4. Enforcement of MLPA’s will cost 30,000,000 to $70,000,000 per year. There is no funding available for enforcement. Law abiding fishermen will comply with the laws but poachers will have free rain. You will be creating poaching reserves.
5. The MLPA process is not collaborative.
6. Some RSG members just plain hate fishermen and divers. They will vandalize property
Remember the states promises during the creation of Redwood park. The tourists never came to Orick and the salmon did not rebound in redwood creak as DFG promised.
Volker Hoehne Vice President, San Diego Freedivers Treasure, Watermen’s Alliance
Re: “The MLPA Ventures North”
Fellow fishermen, We are concluding the Southern California MLPA closures. It has been a painful and but learning experience. Part of your coast will be closed regardless of what you do. The best strategy is get organized. The southern California Divers took notes from the central coast MLPA experience.
We learned during the So-Cal and Cen-Cal MPA process:
1) Eco-trust cannot be trusted. They distributed confidential fishing reports anti-fishing groups. 2) DFG does not have fishermens backs 3) NRDC, “keeper groups” ( coast keeper, bay keeper, ....), and Surf rider do not like divers, fishermen or spearfishermen 5) The anti- consumptives primary strategy is divide and conquer. Separate recreational from commercial fishermen lie to both groups and close both fishing areas. NRDC will go for every point, every large reef, and every estuary with all their cronies singing "All the fish are gone", " We must take all their habitats" "Save our Ocean" "Think Big" and guess what, the commission believes them.
6) Socio Economic impact is no important to the BRTF, the SAT or the Ken Weismann. “they” will promises all kinds of things to get you on board with closures, only to back out of there promises. Get promises in writing. 7) the SAT and the BRTF will change guild lines to rules to harm fishermen. 8) The MLPA process is not collaborative, it majority rule.
A quote from animal farm sums the anti-consumptives feel “two legs bad four legs good”.
The irony is DFG and sciencemag.org ? California fisheries are one of the worlds best managed. It is true that worldwide many fisheries are overfished. So why all the PR hype about pending collapse for non pelagic fish in California waters? It comes down to one thing, Cash. Well intentioned folks give money to ecological crisis.
Volker Hoehne VP San Diego Freedivers, Officer Watermens Alliance. HSU Alum.