Chairman’s Message – Capt. Frank Crescitelli
 A new decade, a new plan of attack! As we finish up our planning and budget meetings for 2010, I am excited, as excited that is, that I can be without having caught a fish in months! If anyone has ever had cabin fever, then you know what I am talking about. At any rate we have laid out our plans for the new year, which include another hard push to make Striped Bass a Game fish in New York. We have a little bit of a head start because right now in the Senate is a bill that will call for the end of commercial fishing in the Hudson River, which by the way is the location of the second largest spawning biomass of Striped Bass in the world.
Although there is no commercial fishing allowed right now in the Hudson, because of previous pollution concerns, every year, commercial Shad fisherman have consistently asked for it to be re opened. Right now we have a fish in for a study to determine the toxicity, as compared to what the NYS DEC, has previously posted as acceptable, if those limits can be called acceptable.
At only 4 years old we are still in the growing stage and need to get our name out there, and as far we are concerned there is no better way to do that than to continue working as hard as we can. We have an unbelievable amount of talent and resources on our board, and have had some great successes. With a list of accomplishments every year, almost as long as our wish list, we need to do a better job of making sure all of you, our members know what we are actually accomplishing with your donations, and give ourselves a little press if you will. Our website and electronic newsletters will play a strong role in this plan, as well as putting out a printed newsletter at least 4 times per year. You can help us by contacting us, and letting us know that you will put out some of the printed newsletters in your office, place of business, barber, local tackle shop, etc. We need to get the word out about the FCA and the good work we are doing, all by the way as non-compensated employees. That is a nice way of saying we are NOT GETTING PAID, but love every minute of it.
Don’t forget to come visit the FCA booth this winter at some of the local shows, to get your newest FCA gear! Take a look at the calendar below for some really important dates for the upcoming season:
*Feb.25-28th ASA Greater Philadelphia Sport Show
* March 19-21st – ASA Somerset NJ Sports Show
* April 10th – FCA Annual Banquet (call for tickets)
* May 14th- FCA Manhattan Cup (call early for boats)
Take a look at my email message sent in January of this year:
Well the year is over and wow what a year it has been! A new President with a gigantic management plan for the ocean and it’s resources, a new Saltwater fishing license for NY, one on the way for NJ, (although it looks like there will be no fee for now), and lot’s more. It all got me thinking about the Fishermen’s Conservation Association and how we meet these challenges, as well as how successful or not, we have been this last year. To do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result is in a way a form of insanity, something we want to avoid!
What is success? How do we measure it and how do we know when we attain it? Well, for starters, we need to have goals, not just items on a list, but important goals, life defining goals, goals that when we reach them, we will have accomplished something as a group that something should be part of our vision, what we were founded on. When we reach those focused goals then we can attain success. But here is the rub, if those goals are too big and they are too hard to accomplish then you set yourself up for failure, the exact opposite of success. If they are too small then when accomplished it doesn’t feel like much and then again, you really don’t feel successful. So what’s the answer? Well our approach and mine specifically has been to set a mixture of long term, big goals, some giant in fact and then some medium sized ones and finally a whole bunch of smaller, short term, easier to attain goals. Beach cleanups for instance are smaller short term, easy to measure goals, of which we did many last year. Some medium sized goals are our “Hooked for a Lifetime” children programs and thanks to a great group of volunteers, led by Bill Paciello, also done successfully this past year. A good example of one of those “Giant Goals” is Game fish Status for Striped Bass; to that end we have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, foundation work. One piece of which I will describe below, in my “How Things Get Done” snapshot. Another piece of that is to build public support, this is not so easily done, especially when less educated writers, some with narrow vision, trying to write “feel good” articles try to jump on the band wagon and write stories of how great the Striped Bass fishing is in certain areas. In a way they can’t be blamed but can help create a false sense that all is well. Thanks to Brendan McCarthy who exposed writer and editor, Sam Sifton, to our work and the fishing here in NYC. Sam, who is now the NY Times food critic, is a sensible, bright, articulate guy, who has witnessed the decline of the Striped Bass and who also realizes the importance of the Game Fish qualities the Bass holds. Sam has written about the problems of the Striped Bass, as a food fish and also a great article about another fish that could replace the “food appeal” of the Striper in a recent article called “Something Fishy” about the mighty bluefish explaining that it can be good table fare, opposite of many people’s opinion. Read the article at this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/magazine/23food-t.html .
These seemingly “small” actions will add up to a major accomplishment, I know someday, one which will lead to the Game Fish Status of the Striped Bass. If we continue the work we have been doing and join with others and really do accomplish this, then my friends, we will have finally reached that fleeting, sometimes-indefinable thing called SUCCESS! This single accomplishment as far as I am concerned would be the defining moment in marine conservation and our group. It is that important and it is needed now. In my twelve years of guiding, I have never had so much trouble finding and catching Stripers as much as this year and I am not alone. Many of the “top guides” on the East Coast can and have confirmed the same. This year I fielded many phone calls from serious full time guides at quite possibly lowest points of their careers when they called to tell to me they “got skunked” and called me in hopes that they weren’t alone and sadly they weren’t! All will confirm the Striped Bass is on the decline and poaching is at the highest it has ever been. Just log onto our website at www.joinfca.org and see the recent articles about poachers that have been caught under the “Fisheries” link. You’ll see quickly how bad it is. Do yourself another favor and set up a Google alert for Striped Bass and see that out of the five or ten articles that will pop everyday, how many are food reviews and recipes of Stripers. Until we change the perception that this is a Game Fish and not a food fish, (for many reasons) we will never reach our goal. If you want to get depressed set up another alert for “illegal fishing” and you’ll see how many pop up everyday! We need your help now more than ever. I look forward to your emails, calls and checks ☺ in the coming year. Have a Happy New Year!
Your tired, but happy volunteer, Capt. Frank
Events – Vice Chairman Bill Paciello
 Rolex Watch Raffle
Once again we are proud to announce our 2010 Rolex Watch Raffle for a chance to win a Rolex Yacht-Master Stainless and Platinum watch graciously donated by Leonardo Jewelers of Red Bank and  Elizabeth, NJ. The winner will be drawn at the 2010 Manhattan Cup at 6:00 PM on May 14, 2010. Only 100 tickets will be sold at $100 each. You can get your raffle tickets by emailing us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call Treasurer Richie Chan at 347.866.0208.
Sunday Fly Tying
Our Sunday Fly Tying sessions have begun and we got a good crowd coming down to the Nature Center at the Blue Heron Park on Staten Island every Sunday morning from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The sessions are free and we even supply the coffee, donuts and bagels for all. No matter what your level of experience is, we have many beginners to world class fly tiers on hand to help you with just about any pattern of fly you would like to learn to tie. I encourage you to come down to mingle with the members and guests to learn how to tie flies, teasers, bucktails and to swap a fishing story or two.
Fisheries – Capt. Steve Byrne
 2009 was another busy year for fisheries issues. Responsible recreational anglers spoke up and said “no” to commercial striped bass fishermen who demanded more fish. We supported an extension to the cap on the menhaden catch by the “reduction fleet,” and we sought additional protections for depleted weakfish and winter flounder stocks. These are just a few of the highlights from the year’s issues; there were many others along the way.
When submitting comments about fisheries issues to management committees and politicians, I always open with the following line: “On behalf of the 1,000 members of the Fishermen’s Conservation Association.” Those are powerful words, and you can bet that elected officials and committee appointees sit up and take notice when you submit comments on behalf of an organization with that many members. I am grateful for your support, and humbled by the opportunity to represent the best interests of fish and recreational anglers.
2010 is barely a month old and already recreational anglers are faced with serious challenges.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has nominated 32 Federal Parks to the MPA program, including Gateway National Recreation Area. While MPA’s limit angler access, they are not an effective tool for managing fish. Managers already have the tools necessary to effectively limit angler effort. MPA’s are little more than a distraction from the task at hand.
The NOAA is aggressively promoting catch shares, a concept that has no place in recreational fisheries.
Gill netters on the Hudson River are pushing to allow commercial striped bass fishing in the river, and you can bet that after failing to push through the commercial striped bass rollover by a slim margin last year, the push will be on to increase the striped bass commercial take again.
On a positive note, proposed legislation in the New York Senate would prohibit commercial striped bass fishing in the Hudson River. Although commercial striped bass fishing is already prohibited in the Hudson River, shad gill netters are pushing hard to reopen the fishery. While this legislation falls short of our goal to have game fish status for striped bass throughout all of New York State’s waters, it would solidify the current protections for striped bass in the Hudson. I urge you to contact your Senator and tell them to support S4948.
Your membership is what makes us an effective organization. There is power in numbers, and I hope I can continue commenting, “On behalf of the 1,000 members of the Fishermen’s Conservation Association,” as we go forward in 2010.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Josh Vlasto
February 4, 2010 (202) 380-5990
SCHUMER URGES COMMERCE SECRETARY TO SCRAP OUTDATED SALTWATER SURVEY DATA FOR THIS YEAR AS BAD DATA COULD FORCE UNFAIR CUTS IN FISH QUOTAS FOR LI IN 2010
If Current Data Is Used to Monitor 2010 Quotas, Crucial Black Sea Bass Fishery Could Again See Dramatic Shutdown in NY – Flawed Data Forced Premature Closure in 2009, Hammering Fishing Community and Hurting Local Economy
Schumer Calling on Department of Commerce, NOAA, and NMFS To Issue Moratorium on Flawed Data Used to Develop Fishing Quotas for LI Waters
Schumer: Continuing To Use Faulty Data To Establish Fishing Quotas is Irresponsible and Deeply Impacts Essential LI Fishing Industry
Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, and NMFS Administrator Patricia Kurkul to issue an immediate moratorium on the flawed survey data used to develop fishing quotas for the East Coast. If the data is included for 2010 quotas, especially black sea bass, there could be a dramatic decrease in quotas or emergency closures in New York, despite the fact that some stocks are healthier and the data is inaccurate. The Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS), the government's method for gauging the level of recreational landings over the course of a season, uses a combination of dockside interviews and evening telephone surveys and has been deemed “fatally flawed” by the National Research Council (NRC). New data collection is required by the Magnuson Stevens Act via the implementation of the saltwater fishing registry.
The Scientific Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council – the local body responsible for federal management of New York’s fisheries - has recently determined that the Atlantic States can get an increased black sea bass quota in 2010. However, this increase could be threatened by another mid-year emergency closure based on outdated MRFSS methods of calculating recreational fishing harvest. Today, Schumer is calling on NMFS to issue an across-the-board moratorium on flawed survey data in 2010 so that black sea bass and other species like fluke and porgies are not unfairly “shutdown” by bad science.
“The bottom line is that we need better science and more data-based flexibility in our fishing management regulations,” said Schumer. "Keeping our fishing stocks healthy is absolutely critical, and to accomplish this we can’t base decisions on outdated science and poor methods. The current system not only falls short of achieving this goal, but it could take the Long Island fishing community down with it in 2010,” Schumer said. “Long Island’s fishing community needs fairness and relief from flawed survey data now, and that’s what I’m urging the Commerce Department to grant them.”
Schumer is urging the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to manage quotas for Mid-Atlantic fisheries that are based on sound data. The Science and Statistical Committee (SSC) for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council recently convened a joint meeting with the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee on January 8, 2010 at the request of the Council. The purpose of the joint meeting was to share relevant information and data not given fair consideration or that was not available to SSC members when their original 2010 black sea bass allowable biological catch recommendation was released in July of 2009. As a result, the SSC revised their recommendation. The Council followed up this decision with a letter requesting the NMFS take Emergency Action in implementing the revised quota recommendation and setting the 2010 black sea bass TAL at 3.7 million pounds. NMFS approved this increase today.
The increase could allow greater access to the black sea bass fishery in 2010 for anglers. Under the old plan, anglers would only be able to catch black sea bass in June and September of 2010. Black sea bass frequent Long Island coastal waters from May through November. Schumer said that, because stacks are in solid shape, expanding the black sea bass season in 2010 is crucial for the Long Island fishing economy, which had one of its worst years ever in 2009, due to premature shut down.
According to reports, NOAA shut down the black sea bass fishing initially because of a 2009 report from the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS) that fishermen were exceeding the sea bass quota by 225 percent. Local fishermen and members of the marine industries protested this closure as based on flawed science and signaled to the Senator’s office that it would be catastrophic in a year when the fluke fishing season had been drastically cut as well. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has signaled that if this increase in the black sea bass quota for 2010 is accepted, it could result in extending the season beyond the current two-month limit.
The Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS), the government's method for gauging the level of recreational landings over the course of a season, uses a combination of dockside interviews and evening telephone surveys. The MRFSS data system has been deemed “fatally flawed” by the National Research Council (NRC). The reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act recognized this flaw and mandated that the survey methods be fixed by 2009. However, NOAA has extended this timeline to 2010, which is now threatening the very existence of the recreational fishing community as the data is not in place to ensure fair and accurate science in the determination of management quotas. These shortcomings are readily acknowledged even by fisheries managers who use the results to determine quotas.
“Fishing is a Long Island tradition that has been passed down for generations and without this relief, the NMFS could potentially stick New York with another year of draconian cuts,” Schumer said. “The fishing community has made many sacrifices and stocks are improving so restricting families and others from fishing for them, based on bad data, in 2010 is just plain wrong.”
Schumer’s letter is included below.
February 9, 2010
Patricia Kurkul
Northeast Regional Director
NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Region
55 Great Republic Dr.
Gloucester, MA 01930-2276
Dear Ms. Kurkul:
I write to you today to urge the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to undertake an immediate action to dismiss flawed Marine Recreational Fishing Statistics Survey (MRFSS) as you manage recreational quotas in 2010 .
Fishermen continue to be plagued by the failed federal recreational data collection system, the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistics Survey (MRFSS). You should be familiar with the findings of the National Research Council that determined it was fatally flawed and inadequate for management purposes. Despite these known failures of MRFSS, New York anglers continue to be denied reasonable access to the near rebuilt summer flounder “fluke” fishery due to faulty harvest estimates stemming all the way back to 2003. New York was spared this fate again in 2009 when MRFSS predicted that the quota was not exceeded. However, MRFSS has proven to be extremely dangerous on a year to year basis – especially with regard to last year’s surprising black sea bass shutdown - and this raises concerns about fully utilizing the meager summer flounder liberalization New York is entitled to in 2010.
You are aware that the Science and Statistical Committee (SSC) for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) convened a joint meeting with the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee via webinar on January 8, 2010 at the request of the Council. The purpose of the joint meeting was to share relevant information and data not given fair consideration or that was not available to SSC members when their original 2010 black sea bass allowable biological catch recommendation was released in July of 2009. As a result, the SSC revised their ABC recommendation to 4.5 million pounds. The Council followed up this decision with a letter requesting you take Emergency Action in implementing the revised quota recommendation and setting the 2010 black sea bass Total Allowable Landings (TAL) at 3.7 million pounds. I applaud your recent decision approving this increase.
Fishermen in New York have played an undeniably important role in rebuilding fish stocks and making black sea bass just one success story where overfishing has been ending and the rebuilding goal has been met. Just as management cannot be successful without fishermen, fishermen should not be excluded from enjoying the benefits of fully rebuilt fish stocks. The SSC’s increased recommendation for the black sea bass TAL will undoubtedly provide significant positive economic impacts for New York fishermen.
Acknowledging the problems with MRFSS, a new system mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Act will be coming online in the coming years. With this in mind, it would be patently unfair to punish anglers by reducing their quota due to erroneous landings estimates produced with a broken system. I request that NMFS dismiss future recreational overages predicted by MRFSS until the new system is fully implemented and calibrated by NOAA.
Fishing is one of New York’s most important industries. In 2009, New York had some of the most restrictive limits on “fluke” catch in recent history. Fluke is arguably Long Island’s most popular recreational fish. At a bag limit of 2 fish per day at 21 inches, recreational fishermen and their families were discouraged from taking fluking trips. This significantly hurt local fishing economies. It is my understanding that these restrictions could have been alleviated if not for this flawed data set.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your acceptance of the best available science and expeditious implementation of the new saltwater survey data. Furthermore, I hope that dismissing future overages estimated by MRFSS will restore some stability to the fishing businesses in New York and allow them to enjoy the rebuilding success of summer flounder, scup and black sea bass.
Gerry Petrella
Long Island Regional Director
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
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Office: 631.753.0978
Fax: 631.753.0997
Last Updated on Saturday, 13 February 2010 20:10
Access – Captain John Malizia
 New Jersey:
The NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife reminds saltwater anglers that the federal government's National Saltwater Angler Registry Program requires most New Jersey saltwater anglers to register prior to fishing in 2010.
You must register if you…
• Fish for or catch anadromous species (striped bass, shad, river herring) in state tidal waters
• Fish in Federal waters (more than 3 miles from shore)
You do not have to register if you…
• Are under 16 years of age
• Only fish on federally licensed party or charter boats
• Hold a Highly Migratory Species Angling Permit Have a saltwater license from any of the following states:
Alabama California Connecticut
Delaware Florida Georgia
Hawaii Louisiana Mississippi
New York North Carolina Oregon
South Carolina Texas Washington
Online and telephone registration will begin January 1, 2010. Register online at www.countmyfish.noaa.gov or call toll free 1-888-MRIP-411 (1-888-674-7411). Registration is free in 2010.
Other News – Richie Chan
 Team of physicians from Staten Island, Manhattan and Texas make a difference in Haiti
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The team of physicians arrived Tuesday morning at a place, thousands of miles from the cool operating rooms and sophisticated machinery of home, where they cut bone with saw blades from a hardware store, observed the rhythm of patients' breathing to judge whether they had given enough anesthesia and operated without the benefit of X-rays or monitoring equipment.
FCA members Dr. Mark Sherman and Dr. Gary Sherman and a team of doctors from Richmond University Medical Center, West  Brighton, the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and a colleague from Texas, performed 65 surgeries and dozens of smaller procedures, while hundreds more victims of the earthquake in Haiti crowded the hallways and the courtyard outside the Samaritana Hospital in the Town of Jimani, sweating in pain, their throats parched from moaning.
"We got there seven days after the earthquake, everything was infected, people were dying," said Dr. Mark Sherman, director of orthopedic surgery at RUMC, who after watching the wrenching images of devastation on television, quickly put together a team including his brother, Dr. Gary Sherman, director of podiatry at the hospital; his son, Dr. Seth Sherman, an orthopedic resident at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan; RUMC anesthesiologist Daphang Fan; RUMC orthopedic fellow Dr. Travis Von Tobel; Dr. Sherman's medical school colleague from Texas, Michael McLean; his son's colleague, orthopedist Dr. Patrick Yost, and native Haitian Peter Mompremier, Sales Representative of the medical-supply firm, Synthes, traveling with carloads of donated supplies.
Donations are being accepted for getting more teams of medical personnel into Haiiti. Also pictures can be viewed at http://www.unitygames.net/unityforhaiti/. There is still much work needed to be done.
2009 in Review
Wondering what the FCA has been doing in 2009? Here’s a quick summary:
Jan. 11 through Mar. 29 held the FCA Sunday Fly Tying Sessions at the Education Center in Gateway National Park, Great Kills, Staten Island
Mar. 20 – 22 FCA was present at the Somerset Saltwater EXPO with a booth manned by our volunteers
Apr. 4 Held the Annual FCA Banquet at the Grand Plaza in Great Kills, Staten Island honoring:
• Staten Island Deputy Borough President Ed Burke with the Conservation Award
• Dennis O’Rourke with the Community Benefactor Award
• Bill Paciello with the Lifetime Achievement Award
• Joan Sharrott with the Special Recognition Award
May 15 Held the annual Manhattan Cup at the Chelsea Brewery in NYC
May 16 Held our first beach clean up at the Conference House, Tottenville
May 31 Held Surf Fishing Seminar at the Conference House Visitors Center
Jun. 6 FCA volunteers participated in the Harlem Park Children’s Fishing Event for the Hudson River Quadricentennial Celebration
Jun. 11 Held a fishing trip with disabled veterans from the Brooklyn VA Day Hospital on the Atlantis Princess
Jun. 20 Held our second beach clean up at the Sharrott Ave. Fishing Pier, Staten Island
Jul. 8 Every Wednesday through Aug. 19 FCA volunteers worked with NYC Park Dept. Rangers in its Children’s Fishing Event for the Hudson River Quadricentennial Celebration
Jul. 19 Held our Hooked for a Lifetime fishing event with Inner City Kids at Ocean Breeze Fishing Pier
Aug. 1 Held our annual Blood Drive at Michael’s Bait & Tackle, Great Kills Harbor
Sep. 12 Held our Hooked for a Lifetime fishing event with Autistic Children at Ocean Breeze Fishing Pier
Sep. 19 Held our third beach clean up at New Dorp Beach, Staten Island
Sep. 23 - 25 Held the FCA Montauk Slam, a part of the Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series in Montauk, NY to find the cure for Cystic Fibrosis
Oct. 17 Held our fourth beach clean up at the Navy Pier, Staten Island
Nov. 19 Held our annual Fall Blitz Cocktail Party at Craft Restaurant, NYC
Worked with NYC Park Dept. to remove illegal “NO Fishing” signage by the pier at IKEA in Brooklyn
Dec. 11 Held our annual Holiday Party at the Grand Plaza, Staten Island |