HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/2001
FISHERS ISLAND CONSERVANCY, INC.
BOX 553
FISHERS ISLAND, NEW YORK 06390
Thanksgiving, 200 I
To All Fishers Islanders:
In recent days, with a forceful push from New York Governor George Pataki, the New York DEC has issued an emergency
conservation regulation regarding lobstering in the Fishers Island area. The new regulation will greatly help the struggling
Fishers Island lobstering community, now laboring under the conditions of severe over-fishing by both Connecticut and
Montauk lobstermen. The concept of conservation, which has always been the key policy of Fishers Island lobstermen, has
until now eluded the grasp of New York regulators (whose mandate of course is to conserve marine resources) and has never
been a concern of Connecticut and Long Island lobstermen, who for the last four years have been bent on plundering the
protected Fishers Island lobster stock and then moving on like buffalo hunters. A classic case of the tragedy of the village
common, where no one - except our locallobstermen - has any interest in the long term, in sustaining the resource.
The new regulations create a one-mile conservation zone around the Island, the Fishers Island Special Management Area
("FISMA"), coincident with the no-trawl zone established by the legislature several years ago. To fish in the FISMA a lob-
sterman must obtain a FISMA permit, entitling him to fish no more than 300 pots in the FISMA, down somewhat from the
maximum 400-500 pots fished historically by Fishers Islanders, but substantially below the thousands of pots fished by
large commercial boats from Long Island and Connecticut. In order to protect FISMA from continuing to be overrun by
throngs of Connecticut and Montauk lobstermen who would simply set 300 of their traps in FISMA and continue to exploit
other waters with the rest, a FISMA permitholder is prohibited from fishing any pots outside FISMA waters. The effect 0
the FISMA regulation will be to restore the fishing practices that supported the healthy Fisher Island lobster stock for 100
years and rebuild it to a sustainable level.
We hope that all Fishers Islanders will back our lobstermen in this matter. We are a small community and we need expres-
sions of support to counteract the expected flood of opposing mail from Connecticut and Montauk. Indeed, Connecticut
has already filed two new lawsuits challenging the FISMA regulation.
We urge you to sign and return the enclosed postcard to our Fishers Island office. We will use your expression of support
to show the regulatory authorities (and the press) that these new lobster regulations are environmentally sound, economi-
cally essential for the future of the Fishers Island fishery, and backed solidly by the entire Fishers Island community.
Our lobstermen are grateful for your support, as we are.
For the Fishers Island Conservancy,
0" 1~ t-
John H. Thatcher, Jr., President
Enclosure
NOTE - Separate supporting letters to the DEC are just as helpful as signing the postcard. Such letters can be mailed to:
Bureau of Marine Resources (Attn: SMA)
N.Y. State DEC
205 Belle Meade Road, (Suite I)
East Setauket, N.Y. 11733