‘Hey, Where's Sammy Sector?'

You may not see Sammy anywhere, but your government sees him worshipfully.

Mr. Sector, in fact, is especially precious all through federal fisheries management.

Nothing means more to a veteran bureaucratic federale than being “fair” to all sectors, a sector referring to a group of fishers, like netters, as opposed to individual citizens.

As a calamitous result, we often see tons of fish allocated to a relative few people while hundreds of thousands of family-level anglers get handfuls. Or none. Closed.

The devotion to sectors is, I'm afraid, a deeply embedded mindset in federal fisheries allocations.

It consistently benefits profit interests at the expense of John Public.

Comments from a NOAA Fisheries staffer in this issue, attempting to explain mind-numbing bottom-fish closures imposed on the recreational "sector," show again how the agency operates without the slightest consideration of changing allocations to benefit the general public.



We've ranted about the commercially influenced system for a couple decades so we shouldn't have to cry about it at this point.

But now maybe there's a ray of hope.

A new report from the National Marine Fisheries Service extols the importance of updating allocation policies, and a major powwow is set for May 7-9. The door is cracked open, if only a few key folks will look beyond their own wallets and compromised research budgets.

The only answer in mixed fisheries, we think, is to set new priorities (or old ones, really,

when you consider fresh water and some inshore fisheries) that call for first providing

for a solid general public fishery, with all citizens equal, and then, if there are ample stocks, allow a carefully limited beyond-bag-limit take.

Seems simple enough, wouldn't you say? Whenever and wherever the equal for all philosophy is employed it works well, without fail.

Besides offering the most fairness for everyone, the public-first approach actually supports the most jobs and the most socio-economic benefits.

Let Sammy Sector run second, where he belongs.

Karl Wickstrom