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DFG panel turns deaf ear to voice of fisherman
By Ed Zieralski, San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 29, 2002
At 54 and with half a century of fishing in his wake, Joe Tickey felt it was time to give something special back to the only sport he ever loved.
Not that Tickey, a businessman from Pacific Beach, hadn't been doing his share for fishing. Few people have donated more time getting kids involved in fishing than Tickey.
His motto has always been: "Anything for the kids. They're our future."
But when he was nominated for a seat on the California Department of Fish and Game's Marine Life Protection Act regional working group, Tickey felt a sense of duty and honor to accept.
Today, Tickey has a seat on the Los Angeles-San Diego Region working group, one of the seven regional groups meeting to discuss forming a network of marine protected areas along the 1,100 miles of California's coastline.
"The kids are our future, but so are these proposals to close off our fishing grounds," Tickey said.
Now, if you've ever been to a meeting to discuss fishing regulations, marine protected areas or the like, you know they're about as fascinating as trolling for marlin all day, in 10-foot seas, without a bite. Most folks would rather get a wisdom tooth pulled, maybe two, than attend these stultifying gatherings of bureaucrats, fishermen and folks who want to put the best parts of the nearshore ocean fishery in a lock box and throw away the key.
For example, this particular group has met three times, once in Long Beach, twice in Dana Point. So far, the working group has agreed on one thing: operation principles, or as Tickey said, "how to fight nice."
Three meetings, and thank goodness they've agreed on procedures.
Tickey said there are 53 Marine Life Protected Areas along the coast, 26 of them in the Southern Region. Most of the new and expanded areas will be challenged mightily by fishermen, and Tickey will lead the charge.
A federal mediator runs the meetings, all open to the public, Tickey said. All of the working group members must agree on something before it is approved.
"There are some things we won't ever agree on," Tickey said. "As a fisherman, I've never felt more hated in my life."
Tickey saw an example of the disdain the environmental members feel for fishermen when he suggested a free meeting place for the next gathering.
"I suggested to Bart Hall (producer of the Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Shows) that we try to meet at his Long Beach or Del Mar show," Tickey said. "I told Bart that the state asked us to try and find a free place to meet because of all the budget cuts. The DFG said it needed some sponsors for the meetings, a benefactor. And Bart jumped on it."
Tickey shared Bart Hall's proposal to the group. Hall would give each member two tickets to the show and provide a quiet meeting room. And since the meetings were open to the public, the meeting places at the Long Beach Convention Center or the Del Mar Fairgrounds would be plenty big enough to hold the crowd.
But when Tickey made the proposal to the group, there was silence from the environmental members.
"Anytime something is brought up, there must be enough interest in it to at least talk about it," Tickey said. "But they didn't want to hear it at all. Bart thought it would be an excellent way to show the group another side of the industry, with families at the show and all. But they didn't want any part of it."
But there is this double standard. Last year, the Natural Resource Defense Council paid for the meetings held by the DFG.
And the handout publications on marine reserves that the DFG gave to the members of the working group were funded by a sea grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and by the National Sea Grant College Program. Tickey and other fishermen likely have never seen folks from those organizations on a half-day fishing trip out of H&M Landing.
Tickey said the process for establishing the network of marine protected areas will drag on well into 2004. The draft plan must be discussed by both the Fish and Game Commission and the joint committee of fisheries and aquaculture before it is implemented.
Tickey wonders why no one from the boating industry or boating community was appointed to the panel. Surely, these protected areas will impact boating in California waters.
Meantime, Tickey takes his role seriously as the representative from the San Diego fishing community.
"I report to the different fishing clubs and try to get the word out about what's going on at the meetings," he said. "It's going to be a long process, but my goal is to make all the meetings. That, and not got kicked out of the group."
If this were an episode of "Survivor," Joe Tickey would be in deep trouble. His torch would have been put out after the first meeting.
By Ed Zieralski, San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 29, 2002
At 54 and with half a century of fishing in his wake, Joe Tickey felt it was time to give something special back to the only sport he ever loved.
Not that Tickey, a businessman from Pacific Beach, hadn't been doing his share for fishing. Few people have donated more time getting kids involved in fishing than Tickey.
His motto has always been: "Anything for the kids. They're our future."
But when he was nominated for a seat on the California Department of Fish and Game's Marine Life Protection Act regional working group, Tickey felt a sense of duty and honor to accept.
Today, Tickey has a seat on the Los Angeles-San Diego Region working group, one of the seven regional groups meeting to discuss forming a network of marine protected areas along the 1,100 miles of California's coastline.
"The kids are our future, but so are these proposals to close off our fishing grounds," Tickey said.
Now, if you've ever been to a meeting to discuss fishing regulations, marine protected areas or the like, you know they're about as fascinating as trolling for marlin all day, in 10-foot seas, without a bite. Most folks would rather get a wisdom tooth pulled, maybe two, than attend these stultifying gatherings of bureaucrats, fishermen and folks who want to put the best parts of the nearshore ocean fishery in a lock box and throw away the key.
For example, this particular group has met three times, once in Long Beach, twice in Dana Point. So far, the working group has agreed on one thing: operation principles, or as Tickey said, "how to fight nice."
Three meetings, and thank goodness they've agreed on procedures.
Tickey said there are 53 Marine Life Protected Areas along the coast, 26 of them in the Southern Region. Most of the new and expanded areas will be challenged mightily by fishermen, and Tickey will lead the charge.
A federal mediator runs the meetings, all open to the public, Tickey said. All of the working group members must agree on something before it is approved.
"There are some things we won't ever agree on," Tickey said. "As a fisherman, I've never felt more hated in my life."
Tickey saw an example of the disdain the environmental members feel for fishermen when he suggested a free meeting place for the next gathering.
"I suggested to Bart Hall (producer of the Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Shows) that we try to meet at his Long Beach or Del Mar show," Tickey said. "I told Bart that the state asked us to try and find a free place to meet because of all the budget cuts. The DFG said it needed some sponsors for the meetings, a benefactor. And Bart jumped on it."
Tickey shared Bart Hall's proposal to the group. Hall would give each member two tickets to the show and provide a quiet meeting room. And since the meetings were open to the public, the meeting places at the Long Beach Convention Center or the Del Mar Fairgrounds would be plenty big enough to hold the crowd.
But when Tickey made the proposal to the group, there was silence from the environmental members.
"Anytime something is brought up, there must be enough interest in it to at least talk about it," Tickey said. "But they didn't want to hear it at all. Bart thought it would be an excellent way to show the group another side of the industry, with families at the show and all. But they didn't want any part of it."
But there is this double standard. Last year, the Natural Resource Defense Council paid for the meetings held by the DFG.
And the handout publications on marine reserves that the DFG gave to the members of the working group were funded by a sea grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and by the National Sea Grant College Program. Tickey and other fishermen likely have never seen folks from those organizations on a half-day fishing trip out of H&M Landing.
Tickey said the process for establishing the network of marine protected areas will drag on well into 2004. The draft plan must be discussed by both the Fish and Game Commission and the joint committee of fisheries and aquaculture before it is implemented.
Tickey wonders why no one from the boating industry or boating community was appointed to the panel. Surely, these protected areas will impact boating in California waters.
Meantime, Tickey takes his role seriously as the representative from the San Diego fishing community.
"I report to the different fishing clubs and try to get the word out about what's going on at the meetings," he said. "It's going to be a long process, but my goal is to make all the meetings. That, and not got kicked out of the group."
If this were an episode of "Survivor," Joe Tickey would be in deep trouble. His torch would have been put out after the first meeting.
