You almost have to feel sorry for President George Bush. He just can't seem to win.
The President earned rare praise from many environmental groups when he created the largest marine protected area in the world by declaring Ross Atoll, the Mariana Trench and the Pacific Remote Island Area as U.S. National Marine Monuments. He set aside 195,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. At first glance, this seemed like a wonderful idea.
The problem?
Anglers and some of the organizations who represent them are upset with the designation because if it is like the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Monument managed by the National Park Service, all recreational fishing, even catch-and-release, is banned.
“What most people will fail to realize is that this designation process took approximately 60 days to complete,” said Mike Nussman, president of the American Sportfishing Association. “There was no proposal or scientific information available for public review and comment. We in the sportfishing community have significant issues with any process where the outcome prohibits people from accessing public resources, particularly when there is no open, transparent process to do so.”
– Tom Wharton
