93 



53 Hardly a fair person to commercial fishing but we can live with 



54 hin if we only had equal representation of commercial fishing 



55 representatives who could debate the issues at Council meetings 



56 and have a vote on the FMP the Council submits to the Secretary 



57 of Commerce for final approval and regulations. 

 58 



59 



60 There are two commercial fishing representatives on the 13 member 



61 South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Because of this 



62 flagrant imbalance, the commercial harvesters are being squeezed 



63 out of federal waters. As a result of this power play, non- 

 64 boaters and inland states consumers ability to purchase and eat 



65 fresh fish from federal waters in the South Atlantic Ocean is 



66 being denied? 

 67 



68 What needs to happen, in our opinion, is for Congress to put the 



69 Secretary of Commerce back in the fish business. 

 70 



71 Rollie Schmitten, the new head of NMFS, is a very competent and 



■f 



72 honest person who would like to make needed changes within the 



73 agency. Unfortunately, his predecessor. Dr. William W. Fox Jr., 



74 resigned as AA for Fisheries at NMFS and burrowed into the bowels 

 7 5 of the agency and now he can't be touched because of his 



76 political clout. There are other Fox students being brought into 



77 the agency and are being groomed, without Schmitten's approval I 



78 assume, for future policy making roles. A tragedy in the offing. 



78-917 0-94-4 



