I admit I'm a sucker for animal cams, those tiny gadgets that allow humans to watch critters up close without them knowing it.

My favorite right now is the Eagle Cam run since 2004 by the Friends of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

The pair of bald eagles produced three eggs this year on Jan. 13 (the earliest ever), Jan. 16 and Jan. 20. The first check hatched on Feb. 19 and the others soon followed.

This is just the second time three eaglets were born at the Cambridge refuge.

Even though the chicks have been hard to spot at times, it's been fun to watch Papa Eagle deliver fish to the nest. There's no mistaking the big white head and golden beak.

The eaglets will stay with the nest for about 12 weeks and grow quickly. The youngsters will be ready to step out in June, but will remain near the nest until fall--kind of a finishing school.

Blackwater will hold its 11th annual Eagle Festival on March 12, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be bird walks and talks, children's activities and music--all free. Spotters will help you view eagles and other birds. Many of the activities will be inside heated tents, and refreshments will be for sale.

You can get details at 301-228-2677 or www.fws.gov/blackwater. 

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Academy Awards ceremony Sunday will give out tons of little Oscars. Every so often--not this year, apparently--a fishing movie slips in.

More often than not, fishing movies are cheesey flicks with a few fart jokes and some scenery. Bait Shop, anyone?

Finding Nemo doesn't make the cut. It's a fish movie, not a fishing movie.

So, without further ado and in no particular order, here's my tackle box Oscar nominees:

1) Old Man and the Sea (1958). Spencer Tracy is nominated for an Oscar for bringing to life Hemingway's story about Santiago, a once-great fisherman who's down on his luck and needs a big catch to restore his reputation. Really suffers from stilted camera work. 

2) Moby Dick (1956). A good friend once boiled the massive book down to its essence: I went to sea with a crazy captain. We were looking for a great white whale. Now everyone's dead but me. Call me Ishmael. Gregory Peck does the boiling down in this classic. If you can't sit through the book, try the movie.

3) Jaws (1975). Three Oscars. Robert Shaw as Quint. Score by John Williams. "You're gonna need a bigger boat." As outdoors editor emeritus Bill Burton would have puffed, "Enough said."

4) A River Runs Through It (1992). Pretty scenery. Oscar-winning cinematography. Early Brad Pitt. Terrific Tom Skerritt. This movie turns lots of folks on to fly fishing, temporarily.  

5) The Perfect Storm (2000). The book is based on a true story and the movie is based on a book that is based on a true story. George Clooney doesn't even bother trying to learn a New England accent. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio plays sword boat Capt. Linda Greenlaw--kinda. Great special effects, though.

6) On Golden Pond (1981). In his last movie, Henry Fonda gives an Oscar-winning performance as a retired professor sorting through his final years and looking for "that crafty son-of-a-bitch" Walter, a humongous trout on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. Kate Hepburn gets an Oscar and Jane Fonda ain't bad, either.

7) Old Man and the Sea (1990). Anthony Quinn takes the Spencer Tracy role in convincing fashion in the made-for-TV movie. Better camera work.

8) The Sea Wolf (1941). Edward G. Robinson, as the tyrannical captain on a sealing ship in Jack London's classic tale. Robinson at his creepy best.

9) Grumpy Old Men (1993). Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Burgess Meredith and Ann-Margaret. Great ice fishing scenes.

10) Grumpier Old Men (1995). Add Sophia Loren to the cast and turn the frozen water to liquid. Lemmon and Matthau team up to try to catch "Catfish Hunter," a huge fish that has eluded anglers for two decades.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

A Severna Park man has gathered more than 2,000 signatures on an online petition to ban gill nets, the type of commercial fishing gear that has been used by poachers to remove 12.6 tons of striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay.

The petition was started about 24 hours ago by Jerome Collier, who said he wanted to help focus the energy of people who are upset with outlaws stealing fish.

"I have no intention of putting watermen out of business. But the status quo is unsustainable," said Collier, an avid outdoorsman. "I was stunned by the impact on the resource. I saw people complaining. There's no positive energy in that." 

Collier collected 800 paper signatures at the Pasadena Sportfishing Group's annual flea market two weeks ago and then decided to go electronic.

Department of Natural Resources officials said on Tuesday that they would be meeting with stakeholders to look at the regulations that deal with gill nets. If revisions cannot be drafted to protect the fishery and ensure Maryland stays within its commercial quota, the nets might have to be phased out, said DNR Secretary John Griffin.

Gill nets drift with the tide to ensnare fish. Anchored gills nets--which have been illegal in Maryland for more than a decade--are weighted to hold to the bay or river bottom and remain submerged and hard to detect.

The signatories appear to include many Maryland residents and people from waterfront communities along the East Coast who rely on recreational striped bass fishing.

Dennis Fleming, a fishing guide and a Maryland representative on the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, is listed on the petition as is Brad Burns, a Maine man who founded Stripers Forever, an organization that seeks to eliminate commercial striped bass fishing.

"Everybody has an interest," said Collier. "The fish we own in April and May move up the coast and belong to others."

Collier said he is operating as "an army of one," and hoped to recruit others to take petitions to fishing shows and meetings of recreational and conservation groups.

Beyond collecting signatures, Collier said he wasn't sure who he would present the petition to.

"Eventually, somebody's going to have to listen," he said. "If we can get this to the point where we can talk about this and change things, that's positive energy."

Fisheries Director Tom O'Connell said he could understand why people are upset by rampant poaching in the Chesapeake, but he cautioned against allowing emotion to get in the way of good decisions based on science.

"It's not the number of people, it's the issues," he said. "A decision would be based on biological issues, ecological issues and the enforcement issue."

Biologically, gill nets have proven to be a clean gear that harvests with very little bycatch. Ecologically, the nets haven't raised any concerns about their impact on other species.

However, on the issue of enforcement, the petitioners may have a point.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

OK, so it won't feel like April this weekend. But with temps in the 40s, it won't feel like late January either.

Don't stay cooped up. Shake off the effects of winter with one of these activities:

1) Get ready for the fishing season at the Saltwater Expo being hosted by the Annapolis chapter of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association. The Saturday event runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 2517 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater. Admission is $5.

2) Learn how to use a compass and map to find your way at Saturday's all-day workshop at REI Timonium, 63 W. Aylesbury Road. The class runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuition is $60 for co-op members and $80 for non-members. Call 410-252-5920 to save a spot.

3) Michael Eversmier, owner of Aqua Ventures scuba diving shop in Cockeysville, is an extraordinary underwater photographer and videographer. Each winter, he displays some of his work at the Oregon Ridge Nature Center to raise money for its programs. This year's presentation is 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10; $5 for kids. Call Mike at 410-666-2326 or visit his website to reserve a ticket.

4) Visit the Sugar Shack at the Oregon Ridge Nature Center on Saturday or Sunday and see how maple sap becomes maple syrup. The free program runs each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be children's activities and maple syrup will be sold at the gift shop. The Oregon Ridge website has details. 

5) Take a six-mile hike Sunday at Great Falls, Va., with the Howard County Sierra Club. The cliffside trail offers dramatic views of the Potomac River, the historic Patowmack Canal and Difficult Run rapids. Bring lunch and water. Depart at 9:30 a.m. from the west lot of the Broken Land commuter lot on Route 21. For details, contact Ken Clark at 443-280-4050 or kenclark7@live.com.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Watermen are happy. Almost everyone else is less thrilled with the decision by the Department of Natural Resources to reopen the striped bass commercial season Friday and Monday and allow watermen to net up to 200,000 pounds.

The season closed on Feb. 4 after Natural Resources Police found illegal nets submerged off Kent Island containing 10 tons of striped bass. Since then, officers found another 2.6 tons.

DNR Secretary John Griffin could have allowed the gill netters to remain idle until December with not much blow back from the public, which has been outraged by the rampant poaching.

By opening the season, he soothed the feelings of watermen and the Eastern Shore legislative delegation, but they aren't big DNR fans to begin with.

So what did he gain? 

Griffin plays a deep game. Two days of fishing on a quota that is not likely to be exceeded is a small risk. Honest watermen are entitled to those fish just as recreational anglers are entitled to the majority of Maryland's annual quota.

This session, the agency has a bunch of bills in the General Assembly hopper--opposed by the commercial industry--that would toughen enforcement, increase poaching penalties and give fisheries managers more authority to regulate gear. It may have to go back to the legislative well if it wants to switch from check stations at seafood dealers to state-run check stations. If fisheries managers determine they want to phase out gill nets--the type of gear used by poachers in this case--they may need an Annapolis blessing.

To Western Shore lawmakers who have heard from their Eastern Shore counterparts and watermen that the department is unreasonable and heavy handed, Griffin's opening of the season for two days comes off as reasonable and solicitous.

Recreational groups and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation are giving Griffin grudging cover no doubt because they see the long-term benefit.

Indeed, in a conference call with reporters to announce the reopening of the season, Griffin said there would have to be a "move to a different culture in terms of being more accountable...to call out the people who are fishing illegally." He called on both recreational and commercial interests to "stand up and be counted."

There can be little doubt that DNR means business. It got a national black eye after undercover officers busted a massive striped bass poaching black market originating in Maryland waters. Less than three years later, the state has another shiner.

Griffin has clout with the O'Malley administration and he's flexing his muscle in this instance.

When he had a teleconference with key stakeholders before the announcement of the reopening, two men were missing from the invitation: Gibby Dean, president of the Chesapeake Bay Commercial Fishermen's Association, and Dave Smith, executive director of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association.

Both had run afoul of Griffin in recent weeks and were sentenced to a session in the DNR spanking machine. No doubt both will be allowed back at the table because they're important to any effort to clamp down on the outlaws and restore Maryland's reputation with the East Coast fishing community.

Dean says his members will meet on Friday to discuss ways to make the striped bass industry more accountable and he hopes to discuss those ideas with Griffin.

Given the publicity and scrutiny surrounding Maryland's two poaching episodes, DNR has the hot hand. Let's see how Griffin plays it.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The state's commercial fishing advisory panel has recommended the reopening the striped bass gill net season next week just two days after its recreational counterpart urged fisheries managers to keep the ban in place.

The Department of Natural Resources is expected to announce this afternoon whether to allow watermen to catch the remaining 200,000 pounds of fish left in the February quota which was frozen on Feb. 4 after a large poaching operation was uncovered.

The Tidal Fish Advisory Commission last night voted 13-2 in favor of letting watermen return to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. It advised DNR to subtract any illegal fish caught before Feb. 21 to this month's quota and any fish confiscated after that date to be taken from the December quota.

Gibby Dean, president of the Chesapeake Bay Commercial Fishing Association and Tidal Fish member, said it was unfair to punish watermen for the actions of outlaws, who have netted 12.6 tons of fish in eight incidents since Jan. 30.

"Everyone says we're stealing from the natural resources. We're not. We're stealing from ourselves," said Dean. "When you shut a gill net season down, you're suspending the license of everyone."

But Brian Keehn, a charter boat captain and commission member, said it would be foolish to give Maryland and the seafood and maritime industry a black eye just to recover two days of fishing.

"Let the dust settle and get a handle on this," Keehn said. "Right now the perception is Maryland is the wild west."

Tom O'Connell, director of DNR's Fisheries Service, said that because the Chesapeake Bay is the spawning ground for 75 percent of the East Coast's striped bass population, "we are constantly under intense scrutiny for our management. This is not just a Maryland issue. This is a coastwide issue."

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which sets the quota, is scheduled to meet next month in Northern Virginia.

DNR officials are to meet today with Natural Resources Police officials to review progress on the net recovery operation and the investigation.

O'Connell said reopening the season will hinge on whether the agency feels it can stay within the quota with existing regulations and monitoring.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

A waterman caught poaching oysters while his license was suspended for poaching was convicted in Talbot District Court Thursday, fined $1,000 and ordered to serve five consecutive weekends in jail.

Richard Nicholas Fluharty, 24, of Tilghman, was under suspension until March 31 after he was convicted last year of oystering overnight.

But Natural Resources officers caught him on Jan. 6 and charged him with four counts of harvesting oysters without a license and one count of possessing 27 percent undersized oysters. A check of the records at Harrisons Oyster Co. indicated Fluharty also sold oysters Jan. 4 and Dec. 30 and 31. 

The court sentenced him to 60 days in the detention center, but suspended all but 10 days of the punishment.

Department of Natural Resources Deputy Secretary Joe Gill, the former agency counsel, applauded the legal system and members of the public who wrote to the prosecutor and demanded that the case be taken seriously.

"It's unfortunate that it had to come to this," Gill said. "He's a flagrant lawbreaker and we just feel lucky that we caught him again."

Coastal Conservation Association Maryland emailed an alert to its 1,400 members, asking them to write to Talbot State's Attorney Richard Patterson and ask for "the maximum penalty allowed by law."

The recreational group was not pleased with the outcome.

"CCA Maryland is floored that this habitual offender got nothing more than a slap on the wrist," said Tony Friedrich, the group's executive director, who vowed to work with the General Assembly to create even tougher laws.

Gill said the department will be supporting a bill sponsored by state Sen. Paul Pinsky that would establish a $25,000 fine and a year in prison for anyone convicted of violating Maryland's commercial fishing laws while under suspension. The hearing for Senate Bill 655 is at 1 p.m. on March 1 before the Education, Health and Environment Committee.

"We are serious about pursuing every avenue," said Gill. "In a small fishery like this, there's no room for offenders."  

Posted by Candus Thomson at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

George Washington was an outdoors kinda guy. Abe Lincoln, too.

So celebrate the President's Day weekend with one of these outdoorsy things:

1) Attend the biggest and best fishing flea market in the region Saturday and Sunday. This is the 19th year for the Pasadena Sportfishing Group's event, held rain or shine at the Earleigh Heights Fire Hall, 161 Ritchie Highway at Magothy Bridge Road in Severna Park. Good stuff, good prices, good fishing talk. The hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $3.

2) Go to the Seaside Boat Show in Ocean City Saturday or Sunday and buy a raffle ticket to benefit the Ocean City Reef Foundation restoration project. The prize, a nautical-themed quilt with a compass rose center, was made and donated by long-time OC scuba diver Dana Mason. The tickets are $5 or five for $25. The drawing will be May 1. The show at the Ocean City Convention Center runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $9.

3) Get some exercise and learn a little bit about Black History Month at 5k and 10k walks sponsored by the Freestate Happy Wanderers. The walks begin at the New Vansville Community Center, 6813 Ammendale Way, Beltsville. A memorabilia collection will be on display. Start either walk between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and finish by 4 p.m. For details, contact wahasse@ix.netcom.com or 301-572-5574 before 9 p.m.

4) Take a hike with the Howard County chapter of the Sierra Club on Saturday at Morgan's Run in the Liberty Reservoir watershed. The 8-mile jaunt includes some stream crossings. Bring water and lunch and meet at 9 a.m. at the Bagel Bin in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center on U.S. 40. The contact person is James Perschy, 410-964-1902 or jameshike@verizon.net.

5) Watch Saturday's sunset from water's edge after a walk around Otter Pond and then enjoy an old-fashioned marshmallow roast at the Anita C. Leight Estuary Center, 700 Otter Point Road, Abingdon. The activity runs from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The cost is $2 per person or $5 per family. Save a spot by calling 410-612-1688. 

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:38 AM | Permalink
        

It's rockfish-and-a-hard-place time for the Department of Natural Resources, which has to make a decision by Friday if it is going to reopen the striped bass gill net season for the final two days.

But the situation for the watermen isn't much better. They have to decide if demanding that they be allowed to fish--and maybe going to court to force the issue--while Natural Resources Police continues to look for rockfish poachers is a good public relations move.

A vote Tuesday night by the Sport Fish Advisory Commission to support keeping the season closed doesn't really clarify the issue. Its counterpart group, the Tidal Fish Advisory Commission made up largely of commercial interests, is likely to vote just the opposite Thursday night.

And somewhere in all of this is a fish that is being hammered mercilessly this winter up and down the East Coast, by trawlers off North Carolina, by recreational anglers in Virginia waters, and by poachers in the Chesapeake Bay. That's the Trifecta of a species crash in the making.

The bay gill net season was cut short on Feb. 4 after NRP officers recovered illegally submerged nets off Kent Island that contained 10 tons of fish. DNR officials said until they could get a better handle on the season and the number of illegal fish, they had no choice. The Maryland Watermen's Association supported the move, assuming the season would be restored in time for the final few days, the period when river and lower bay watermen typically see fish.

Doing the math, the February season is about 200.000 pounds under quota, enough to allow about two days of fishing. Those 48 hours or so are enough to help honest watermen pay their bills and put food on the table, argues Gibby Dean, president of the Chesapeake Bay Commercial Fishermen's Association.

The laws that govern DNR say that the agency cannot arbitrarily keep a season closed unless it believes the quota will be exceeded.

Privately NRP officers are hoping the season remains closed. Patrol boats have worked only a tiny portion of the bay to recover illegal nets with grappling hooks and investigators are still following leads. Complicating the situation is that officers found 1,800 yards of net Friday evening containing another 2 tons of fish. Those nets were placed in the water after the ban was instituted, says NRP Lt. Scott Richardson.

Several Sport Fish commissioners expressed concern that the public and states along the Eastern Seaboard would pitch a fit if the season reopens and the quota is exceeded.

"The tipping point is over. All eyes will be on what we do," said Commissioner Brandon White. "It's the right thing to do based on what we know."

With that in mind, the commission voted to recommend keeping the season closed until DNR can demonstrate that it has the illegal gill net fishing under control and that the number of fish taken can be accounted for.

But if that becomes the standard for opening and closing seasons, it doesn't bode well for recreational anglers, whose annual striped bass catch is not actually counted, but estimated.

The discussion at the Tidal Fish commission Thursday night should be fascinating.   

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Maybe, just maybe it's time for the Department of Natural Resources to ask the General Assembly for the authorization and money to establish state-run check stations for commercial catches.

The entire system is a busted mess, as indicated by the latest poaching ring--and I have to believe it's a collaborative effort involving some serious manpower and some rather large boats.

State lawmakers tut-tut about the problem and introduce bills to crack down on illegal fishing, but they do nothing to hire more Natural Resources Police officers or put the screws to the folks who traffic in illegally caught fish.

If we learned anything from the hugely successful state-federal sting last year that convicted 19 men and three corporations involved in a interstate striped bass black market is that the only way to fix things is to cut off the demand.

If watermen have no place to sell their illegal fish, they won't bother catching them.

So first, eliminate the antiquated system used by the Department of Natural Resources to verify legal catches. Right now, fish are checked into a network of volunteer stations, most of them run by fish dealers and processors.

Having folks who both check the fish and buy the fish seems like an invitation for trouble. The system's obvious flaw was pointed out during the Potomac River sting, where illegal fish went through the check station and to market in one smooth motion.

If the striped bass population is that important to Maryland--and no one would say it isn't--then hire some state employees to make sure commercial tags are on each fish, that the tag matches the type of gear and season and that the fish are of legal size.

How about recruiting some of our former warriors through the O'Malley administration's Veterans Fishing Program? 

Second, pass laws that stick it to illegal fish shops and processors. It's the business of these folks to know what's legal and isn't. If they don't know, run them out of business.

While it can't be done in time for this legislative session, someone should be planning for next year.

After all, the poachers aren't going away. 

Posted by Candus Thomson at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

You can almost sense we're turning the corner on winter. Dawn arrives a tad earlier. People are making outdoors plans and buying stuff. The old surly to bed, surly to rise attitude is lifting.

Here's a few things to keep the momentum going this weekend:

1) If you've never met fishing legend Lefty Kreh, cross the Bay Bridge (he'll walk on water) on Saturday and stop at the Kent Narrows Yacht Club in Chester for Tie-Fest, a celebration of all things fly fishing. Kreh will give a casting demonstration and other fishing notables will give talks and demonstrations. The gathering runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

2) Couples can celebrate Valentine's Day this weekend at the end of a rope (there's a joke in there somewhere) at Howard County's Terrapin Adventures. For $75 per couple, you get two hours on the zip line, the giant swing and the rest of the course plus hot chocolate, Hersey's Kisses and a raffle. The times are 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Make reservations on the Terrapin Adventures website.

3) Talk a hike with the Howard County Sierra Club Saturday on the Stone Tower Circuit, St. Anthony's Wilderness, Pa. The moderate 8-mile trek has some steep climbs and descents while visiting the Stone Tower, The General and other abandoned industrial artifacts. At least one nice view. Bring food, water and sturdy boots. Depart at 8 a.m. from the south lot of the Timonium Park and Ride/Light Rail. Contact Mike Juskelis, 410-439-4964 or mjuskelis@cablespeed.com.

4) If you can't do the Saturday hike, join the club Sunday at Patuxent River State Park for a moderate 7-mile hike, west of Howard Chapel Road, through woods and across rolling farm fields. Bring lunch and water, and boots for muddy trails and challenging stream crossings. Depart at 10 a.m. from the west lot of the Broken Land Parkway Park and Ride at Route 32. Contact Ken Clark, 443-280-4050, kenclark7@live.com.

5) Finally, there's a free star-gazing program Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m. at Soldier’s Delight Natural Environment Area in Owings Mills. With the moon in its first quarter, learn why our neighbor looks the way it does. See how craters are made and see why earth may have its own rings someday. All programs are held rain or shine. Time machines will be provided by the Westminster Astronomy Club. To reserve a spot, call 877-794-0606.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

A year after the Department of Natural Resources requested it and the General Assembly approved it, the O'Malley administration finally got around to naming three additional members to what was a 12-member Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission.

That vetting process must be exhaustive, eh?

There has been no official announcement. So here's mine. The new members are Carol Stevenson, a founder of Chesapeake Women Anglers who calls the Gunpowder River her home waters; Greg Jetton, owner of Gunsmoke Charters, a fishing and hunting outfitter in Rock Hall; and Dave Smith, the executive director of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association.

The commission meets most months and acts as a sounding board for recreational fishing and law enforcement issues. It also meets several times a year with the Tidal Fish Advisory Commission, consisting of mostly commercial interests.

Their first meeting as members comes Tuesday at 6 at DNR headquarters in Annapolis.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 11:00 AM | Permalink
        

You have to hand it to the leaders of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association.

When you've had a week where your attempt to hijack an established timeline for review of a fisheries management plan exploded, where you alienated most other fishing and conservation groups with your high-handed tactics, where you get caught in a ham-fisted and unethical rewriting of the words of the most powerful dude in the immediate fishing world, where you can't even understand the basic premise of how a fisheries rellocation process works...on the fifth day, most folks would give it a rest.

But when you're MSSA Executive Director Dave Smith, a newly appointed member of the Sport Fish Advisory Commission, why stop now?

Who wants to be "that guy" who sits next to "what's his name" when you can be a living, breathing Whack-A-Mole surrounded by people with big, rubber mallets?

Smith has asked that the issue of striped bass allocation--the very thing that melted down in his hands like that bad guy's face in Indiana Jones--be placed on the agenda of Tuesday evening's SFAC meeting.

Talk about a great ice breaker at your first meeting. Mr. Smith goes to Annapolis and leaves a cow pie in the punch bowl.

Unless Smith plans to start his remarks at 7:55 with an apology to DNR Secretary John Griffin for twisting his words, followed immediately at 8:05 with an apology to Fisheries Service Director Tom O'Connell for causing an uproar and creating extra work for his biologists, followed at 8:15 with an apology to other fishing groups for leaving tire tracks on their backs, he might as well resign right now.

Smith has asked for 40 minutes on the agenda, so he has plenty of time to explain himself.

It's too bad the 7,000 members of MSSA have to live through this comedy of errors. They do lots of good works and have lobbied hard for a sensible management approach to the Chesapeake Bay menhaden population.

Mr. Smith should go to Annapolis Tuesday night, apologize for putting his own ambitions ahead of sound fisheries management and coalition building, and promise to do better.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I have no quarrel with the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association deciding to go its own way when it comes to striped bass management policy.

It annoys like-minded groups and weakens the sense of unity that has been building over the last several years and it's not the most effective thing to do. But, hey, if everyone had the same taste, they'd only make one flavor of ice cream.

And this is not a criticism of MSSA members who run reef ball projects, raise scholarship money and take kids, seniors and recovering veterans fishing every year at no cost.

What really frosts my granny (sorry, granny) is the outright rewriting of a portion of a letter dated Feb. 2 from Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin to MSSA Executive Director Dave Smith.

The group and Smith owe Griffin an apology if they want to save face. And, sadly, it's not the first time MSSA has changed someone's words to put itself in a better light. Smith did it to me last year.

The MSSA "membership update," released Monday night and discussed in a previous blog, hogs the striped bass spotlight in a most childish way. What's worse, the update takes three sentences from Griffin's letter, edits them and puts them in a different order to achieve a certain spin. 

Here's what MSSA, in bold-face type, told its membership Griffin's letter said:

"The Department believes that a review of the current striped bass allocation is appropriate as it has been more than 20 years since it was adopted. The Department is prepared to conduct this evaluation in cooperation with stakeholders, including sports fishermen, charter boat captains and commercial fishermen. The Department could approve a policy as early as June 1, 2011."

MSSA put that paragraph in quotes, which implies Griffin wrote it exactly that way.

In reality, the first sentence attributed to Griffin is just part of a sentence and does not come first in his two-page letter. The second sentence strings together parts of two sentences. And the third sentence is taken out of context and appears before the sentence MSSA places first.

The end result is MSSA has Griffin promising to have a new allocation system for recreational anglers and the commercial industry "as early as June 1, 2011."

In reality, Griffin sets a 16-month timetable in which the Fisheries Service is expected to provide a draft policy by April 1 for review by the sport and tidal fisheries advisory commissions. That review would create a management framework that could be in place by June 1.

With that in hand, the Fisheries Service could prepare an actual allocation proposal for review by the commissions by Nov. 15. After everyone weighs in, DNR could issue a final ruling on allocation "by May 15, 2012."

That's Griffin's position.

It's pretty apparent that Griffin is not pleased with what MSSA did with his words. In a highly unusual move, the agency late Tuesday posted on its website the MSSA white paper on striped bass allocation and secretary's response so that the public can see for itself what Griffin actually wrote.

The editing of other people's words to suit its purposes is pitiful but not completely surprising.

Last year, I wrote a column for the Sun that mentioned the work of MSSA and Coastal Conservation Association Maryland.

Smith took my column and rearranged it to give his group better billing. When I called him on it, he said he knew what he did was wrong, "but I did it anyway."

Well, he didn't learn his lesson and now he's done wrong again with much more important players. 

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Call it an urban myth, even though the whole thing started in the woods.

Hunters with a bad case of cabin fever have been sending around a batch of eye-popping grizzly bear photos with an endearing story line about how the bear came to be deceased on Sept. 20 in Canada.

Great story. Terrific photos. Spreading like wildfire. Totally phony bologna.

First, the lie, as told to me and no doubt thousands of other outdoors types with an email account:

"These two gents were calling elk in the Saddle Hills south of Woking, Alberta, when this big guy slipped in on the caller.

"The shooter spotted the bear about 8 yards from the caller and dropped him with five shots out of his 338 Remington Mag. Farmers in the area knew about the bear but weren't able to track after it had killed three horses, five cows, 13 sheep and a pen full of chickens on several different homesteads in the area.

"Fish and Wildlife had bear traps set up in the area but noticed on surveillance video that whenever he would enter his hump would hit the top of the culvert trap slowing him enough that the trap door would whack him on the head before he was all the way in.

"Check out the scar tissue on his face. Bear weighed in just under 1,300 pounds and would have stood 11 ¾ feet tall on its hind legs."

The tale has gotten a lot of traction--I've gotten at least four copies of it--and it even made the Outdoor Life website.

Now, the truth:

When you download the photos and look at their properties you learn that they were taken just before 10 p.m. on May 3, 2007 with a FujiFilm Fine Pix E900 camera.

After a little digging and a few phone calls you find out that the hunt happened at Afognak Wilderness Lodge on Alaska's Kodiak Islands. One of the photos is on the lodge's website. The bear was 9-foot-9, according to the caption on the lodge's photo.

A full mount of the bear was used for display at the lodge's booth during the January 2008 Safari Club International show in Reno, Nevada.

As Paul Harvey used to say, "That's the rest of the story."

Posted by Candus Thomson at 11:30 AM | Permalink
        

No offense to the membership of the Maryland Saltwater Sportsfishermen's Association, but your leaders have all the grace and dignity of 14-year-old boys at an all-you-can eat pizza buffet.

There are ways to accomplish your goals. A sterling model would be the Task Force on Fisheries Management, which got everyone in the fishing community--recreational anglers, charter boat captains, guides, tackle shops owners, watermen and regulators--to work out a blueprint for the future.

It was agonizing work. Slow going. But it was transparent, inclusive and effective.

Enter MSSA and its showboating membership update last night that ranks as perhaps the most childish bit of chest-thumping since Tarzan met Jane. 

The group's leadership wants to change the way striped bass are allocated between the recreational anglers and the watermen. The short version is, they want more, they want to take fish from the watermen and they want to wrap themselves in a holier-than-thou flag of conservation.

They didn't talk to the other fishing groups before making their demand and threatening to go to the General Assembly if Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin didn't give them what they wanted.

They paid for a "white paper," cut and pasted from existing documents by lobbyist Bill Miles. It contained nothing new about the status of striped bass. (Hey guys, if you paid more than $80 for that long-winded term paper you paid too much.)

In a cover letter to the MSSA board dated Nov. 16, executive director Dave Smith wrote that the goal was to reduce the watermen's take of Chesapeake Bay striped bass from 42.5 percent to 10 percent. He later revised and extended his remarks to remove the 10 percent.

Griffin, in his response to the legislative threat, wrote: "The conservation and allocation of striped bass are distinctly separate management issues. Conservation does not require allocation and, more importantly, allocation does not ensure conservation...Allocation issues rely heavily, and appropriately, on stakeholder values and input."

It should be noted that MSSA did not approach either the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission or the Tidal Fish Advisory Commission before it decided to begin its blackmail attempt. (I'm surprised the "white paper" wasn't constructed of letters cut out of a newspaper.)

MSSA says it has 7,000 members. Maryland has 19 times that many saltwater anglers--and that doesn't count charter boat customers. So where does it get off jumping to the head of the line?

Griffin's letter, dated Feb. 2, said he would make an allocation review a priority and include ALL interested parties. A review could be completed by Nov. 15 and a policy decision could be reached by May 15, 2012, one year ahead of schedule.

Sounds like a grown-up, reasonable approach.

Then, Monday night, MSSA slobbered all over itself with a smug update to its membership that took credit for everything short of the creation of really soft toilet paper and announced that Smith had been named a member of the Sport Fish Advisory Commission--THE VERY GROUP MSSA CIRCUMVENTED.

Nice.

Here's a truly laughable line: "Maryland's commercial fishing industry harvests more striped bass than any other East Coast state and they do so within their principal spawning grounds, the Chesapeake Bay."

But wait, watermen have less than half of the bay allocation. Who catches 57.5 percent of the allocation from those same spawning grounds? Oh, we don't talk about that in polite company. We'll conserve from the watermen's cut.

There's a way to do things, to build a coalition. And there's a way to belittle folks and suck the air out of the room.

If MSSA want to be a big player, it has to stop acting like a little snot.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

A bill to combine the Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Department of the Environment will be heard in Annapolis Tuesday afternoon.

And after it is aired in public, it most likely will be placed in a stuffy drawer to die a quiet death, which is as it should be.

The O'Malley administration, which has placed several small DNR/MDE consolidation proposals in its budget blueprint, has no desire to stitch together the two agencies. And there seems to be very little support among lawmakers to discuss the matter.

What a waste of time and paper.

The bill is the work of Sen. Richard Colburn. It abolishes MDE as of June 30 next year and pools resources under DNR while decreasing the budget of the new agency by 20 percent. It sets aside no money to accomplish the mission.

The Department of Legislative Services believes the Colburn bill would not reduce manpower--except for the positions of MDE secretary and deputy secretary--would require other state agencies to find jobs for people whose positions would be eliminated and could raise fees and pass some expenses along to local jurisdictions to pay for the merger.

Further, the fiscal report notes "if a consolidation of facilities and satellite operations is required a tremendous one-time expense is likely."

I'm on board, how about you?

A similar bill in 2009 never got out of the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. Here's hoping Sen. Joan Carter Conway, the committee chairwoman, loves reruns.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 12:41 PM | Permalink