ASMFC Has Striped Bass in Sight

John Page Williams, former head of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Mag, Striped Bass Fishery Managers Zero in on Conservation at May Meeting

Atlantic coast rockfish fishery managers are in the midst of shaping their management plan for the Bay’s most popular fish. So all eyes were on the Striped Bass Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) at its May meeting.

The board narrowed the changes that may come in Amendment 7 of its Striped Bass Management Plan down to three critical parts: Management Triggers (when to declare overfishing), Conservation Equivalency (use of alternative fishery restrictions), and Recreational Release Mortality (the fish that die after being caught and released—alarmingly high in recent years).

Notably, the Board voted clearly not to change current conservative levels on stock rebuilding and biological reference points. The Board’s clear intent was to reduce fishing mortality and allow these valuable fish to rebound.

It was apparent to anyone who attended the meeting (held via webinar) that both the Commission’s staff and the Board members had paid attention to the 3,063 written testimonies and attendance by hundreds from the fishing community during the March/April online hearings and written comment period.

“I am encouraged,” declared John Bello, Chair of Government Affairs for the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association. “I think they heard us loud and clear. That is borne out by the fact that the Board is carrying those three critical issues forward, while it firmly voted down all changes to the fundamental goals of robust stock size and diverse age structure established in Amendment 6. Up and down the coast, the message is clear: We want to conserve these iconic fish and rebuild the stock as quickly as possible. Note we are currently committed to a 10-year rebuilding schedule that was triggered in 2018, meaning the stock has to be rebuilt by 2028. We’re prepared to reduce our harvest significantly for those few years to accomplish this goal. Our first priorities are the fish.”

What happens now? Regulations are already set for 2021 fishing, but at the Striped Bass Board’s direction, an ASMFC plan development team will develop a draft Amendment 7 over the summer, including multiple alternatives for each of the issues: Management Triggers, Conservation Equivalency, and Recreational Release Mortality. At its October meeting, the Board will review the draft plan. If its members vote to approve, it will come out for public comment at hearings and in written form in the late fall and early winter. Next February, the Board will set the measures to reduce fishing mortality along the Atlantic coast in 2022 and succeeding years. After Board approval, ASMFC’s Policy Committee must vote on Amendment 7, and then the full Commission must ratify it. Each state would then develop its regulations for the 2022 fishing season and beyond, all in compliance with the Amendment.

This amendment development schedule is ambitious, requiring each stage to function smoothly, which is by no means automatic for a fish that means so much to so many. One thing is certain, though: the strong voice from the fishing community for conserving striped bass made this first stage of the process run relatively smoothly. That’s a strong clue for how the next stages could run.

They need to do something, poor reproduction, and continued high levels of harvesting lead to only one thing. 

Bay Governors to Feds, Boy We Could Sure Use Another Billion Bucks

Bay Journal, Governors say a ‘Billion for the Bay’ will help clean up the Chesapeake

Governors from Chesapeake Bay watershed states are urging Congress to spend an additional billion dollars on Bay restoration efforts.

Their letter to leaders of the U.S. House and Senate, dated May 13, urged federal support for a “bold plan” that would boost state and local economies while helping to “achieve the long-elusive goal of restoring the Chesapeake Bay.”

The request was announced on Twitter by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. “Today, I joined our Chesapeake Bay watershed partners in calling on Congressional leaders to make bold investments in Bay restoration,” he wrote. “Our Billion for the Bay Initiative will create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and protect the health of America’s largest estuary.”

The two-page letter provides little detail about how the money would be used or how many years the billion dollars would be spread across.

Northam chairs the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, the top policymaking body that has guided Bay restoration efforts since 1983. The council includes the governors of all six states in the watershed — Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and West Virginia — as well as the mayor of the District of Columbia; the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, which represents state legislatures.
. . .
The letter said the additional money would provide a “significant and much needed infusion of new funds that will jumpstart the final phase of Bay restoration and put people to work building clean water infrastructure, including green infrastructure that will reduce stormwater and agricultural water pollution, the restoration of natural landscapes, and helping us adapt to the impacts of climate change.”

The letter notes that the region faces a 2025 deadline to implement all pollution control measures needed to clean up the Bay, which would require ramped up efforts to control agricultural runoff, manage stormwater, protect forests, create wetlands and other actions that would help restore the health of the Bay and its 64,000-square-mile watershed.

The letter notes that “the lion’s share” of the fiscal responsibilities for Bay restoration rests with the states, but that their budgets have been hard hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, “many individuals, including farmers and ratepayers who must share in the cost of these upgrades, are also struggling,” the letter stated.

The letter said the additional funding would enhance cleanup efforts that are significantly behind schedule and boost economic activity, generating “tens of thousands” of jobs.

The letter provides no detail about whether the additional money would be steered strictly toward water quality-related projects or whether it could also be used for related Bay initiatives such as oyster restoration and land conservation.

In other words, a blank check. "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money" to quote Senator Everett Dirksen.

Election 2020: Video Shows Capitol Policeman Inviting Incursionists into Capitol

This is going to be inconvenient for the Jan. 6 prosecutions. Julie Kelly at Am Great: Video Shows U.S. Capitol Police Gave Protesters OK to Enter (also at Zero Hedge)

Anewly-obtained video shows United States Capitol Police officers speaking with several January 6 protestors—including Jacob Chansley, the so-called “Q shaman”—inside the Capitol that afternoon.

One officer, identified in the video and confirmed by charging documents as Officer Keith Robishaw, appears to tell Chansely’s group they won’t stop them from entering the building. “We’re not against . . . you need to show us . . . no attacking, no assault, remain calm,” Robishaw warns. Chansley and another protestor instruct the crowd to act peacefully. “This has to be peaceful,” Chansley yelled. “We have the right to peacefully assemble.”

The video directly contradicts what government prosecutors allege in a complaint filed January 8 against Chansley: “Robishaw and other officers calmed the protestors somewhat and directed them to leave the area from the same way they had entered. Chansley approached Officer Robishaw and screamed, among other things, that this was their house, and that they were there to take the Capitol, and to get Congressional leaders.”

 

Jordan Davidson at Da Fed claims GOP Lawmaker Caves On Democrats’ 9/11-Style Commission To Investigate Capitol Riot

GOP Rep. John Katko, the ranking member on the committee, led negotiations with the Democrats to reach a consensus about the commission. His support for the commission is being marketed by the corporate media as “bipartisan support,” but the New York representative is one of few Republicans in the House who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump the second time Democrats targeted him. Katko also blames Trump for causing the “insurrection” at the Capitol.

But Julie Kelly also reports House GOP Members Want Answers on January 6 Probe

House Republicans finally are pushing back on the Democrats’ largely fabricated narrative about what happened on January 6. Several GOP congressmen confronted ex-Trump officials in a House hearing on Wednesday, demanding answers on the killing of Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed veteran shot by a still-unidentified Capitol Police officer, and all the “outright propaganda and lies,” as Representative. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said, peddled by Democrats and the news media.

Gosar also called for the release of the surveillance video captured by the Capitol Police’s security system on January 6. The USCP and Joe Biden’s Justice Department are fighting to keep those recordings under seal even from defense attorneys.

Cassandra Fairbanks at Gateway Pundit  reports that Trump Issues Statements Blasting Pence and Declaring ‘the Presidential Election of 2020 Will Go Down as THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!’ while the AP found a Republican Arizona election official who says Trump “unhinged”. The truth is out there. God knows it's going to take hard work to find it.

For example at Behind the Black, Today’s blacklisted American: The Spectator magazine, by Google’s YouTube and Vimeo

They’re coming for you next: Simply because an interview by The Spectator with Trump lawyer John Eastman discussed the many indications of election fraud and vote tampering in the November election, both Vimeo and Google’s YouTube decided that the video needed to be banned, forever.

YouTube said that the video violated its policy on misinformation. When the Steamboat Institute attempted to post the video under a different title, YouTube removed it again and revoked Steamboat’s ability to post videos for a full week. Vimeo also removed the video, saying that they ‘do not permit content that seeks to spread false or misleading information about voting.’

Steamboat was finally able to upload the interview to the Canadian video platform Rumble. You can watch it here and decide for yourself if this video is as dangerous as Big Tech claims.

As usual for these big tech censors, they cite no specific examples of “false or misleading information” expressed during the interview. They just claimed it existed, and banned everything.

And the Obama/Biden era political purge of the military continues apace. At Da Caller, Space Force Commander Relieved From Duty Over Comments Criticizing Marxism, Critical Race Theory In US Military. Sundance at CTH, Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier, Commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley AFB, Colorado, Relieved From Duty After Questioning Creeping Marxist Ideology in Military

What makes this man a national treasure and hero is not just his military service, but his willingness to outline one of the true cancers -Marxism- that is undermining the military ability to function. It is likely Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier knew what he was saying would mean his targeting and elimination, yet he said it anyway.

(Military.Com) A commander of a U.S. Space Force unit tasked with detecting ballistic missile launches has been fired for comments made during a podcast promoting his new book, which claims Marxist ideologies are becoming prevalent in the United States military.

Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier, commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, was relieved from his post Friday by Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of Space Operations Command, over a loss of confidence in his ability to lead, Military.com has exclusively learned.

[…] Earlier this month, Lohmeier, a former instructor and fighter pilot who transferred into the Space Force, self-published a book titled “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military.”

“Irresistible Revolution is a timely and bold contribution from an active-duty Space Force lieutenant colonel who sees the impact of a neo-Marxist agenda at the ground level within our armed forces,” a description of the book reads. (continue reading)

It is interesting to compare and contrast the military reaction to Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier: “Lt. Gen. Whiting has initiated a Command Directed Investigation on whether these comments constituted prohibited partisan political activity,” against the lack of military reaction to Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (Trump impeachment instigator) who was clearly undertaking “partisan political activity.”

Insty,  SPACE FORCE CANNED HIM FOR WRONGTHINK . . .

. . .  but his self-published book, Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military is currently #2 on Amazon. Oft evil will shall evil mar, as they say. UPDATE: Now #1 on Amazon.

John Simpson at Am Think thinks Dr. Strawman, Or How I Learned To Stop Loving The FBI And Start Worrying

My overarching point is that, until recently, I both revered and have been fascinated by the bravery, technical prowess, and clever talents for deception one sees in the rough men and women of the FBI who work tirelessly to capture the worst criminals in America and neutralize terrorist threats. That reverence is now dwindling at an accelerating pace given current events. Radical left-wing Democrats in the White House and Congress are rapidly steering the DoJ and FBI away from their core missions of law enforcement to conducting politically motivated investigations more worthy of the KGB and the Stasi, using the pretext of the Capitol riots as an American Reichstag Fire.

Don’t take my word for it. If you search for Antifa at the FBI’s website, you get one result! Now check out the MOST WANTED/CAPITOL VIOLENCE page header. It goes on endlessly. Page after page of images captured of anyone in the Capitol on January 6th. FBI Director Wray insists that the FBI did not use geotracking to locate anyone to the right of Mao who was in the Capitol that day. Having worked in Telecom for twenty years, and having been involved in the incorporation of the Enhanced 911 Systems that allow police to use cell towers and GPS to track emergency cellphone calls to their exact location, I know Wray is lying. How else did he get the information in any legal fashion?

I can stand politicians lying to me. I’ve witnessed that my entire life. But for the Director of the FBI to lie to the American people in such a low fashion, one more characteristic of John Brennan and James Clapper is a bridge too far. Add to that the embarrassing raid on Marylin Hueper in Alaska based on a selfie. That’s not an investigation unless they have evidence I don’t know about. It was a politically motivated botch that completely disrupted the lives of two innocent Americans. Conversely, DoJ and the FBI seem determined to whitewash, equivocate, and dismiss any concerns about Antifa and BLM, whose members have caused over two billion dollars in damage and destroyed countless businesses and lives.

Marvin K Mooney Elizabeth Cheney  won't you please go now!  "The time has come! The time is now! JUST GO, GO, GO! I DON'T CARE HOW!"

Ignore the hype of Republicans threatening to ‘break away’ over Trump - The Guardian
Sunday Talks, Swamp Gatekeeper Chris Wallace Interviews Decepticon Deep State Implant Liz Cheney - The Last Refuge
Sunday Talks, Representative Elise Stefanik Discusses Her Role as House Conference Chairwoman - The Last Refuge
Cheney: McCarthy and Stefanik are complicit in Trump's lies – HotAir
Cheney Says She Can’t Ignore Trump Because He ‘Continues To Be A Real Danger’ - The Daily Wire
Insane USA Today Editor Says Republicans Who Ousted Cheney Are A Greater Threat Than 9/11 Hijackers - Da Fed

The Monday Morning Stimulus

Beach Report 5/16/21

Some unknown weed, common in the lawn lining the marina. It has pretty blue flowers in an interesting floret. Leaf Snap says Lyre-Leaf Sage (Salvia lyrata).

A Barn Swallow, resting on a dock line.

A clump of Blue-eyed Grass also beside the marina.

The clouds moved in as we got the to beach. We were expecting some rain.

Between Georgia and I we managed about 20 teeth. And the rain never arrived.

‘They’re Not Journalists. They’re Political Assassins’

 Lara Logan recounts her journey to the 'dark side.'

H/T to Sundance at CTH, Lara Logan Describes the Modern Manipulation of Media – As Soon As You Write Something Important Enough To Be Suppressed, You Become a Target.

Election 2020: She's Gone!

Blessedly little coverage yesterday. Maybe the Washington media was off enjoying the lovely weather. 

On the ongoing Maricopa County audit, from PM, Arizona Senate president claims entire database deleted from election system, but I'm sure it was an accident, like Rose Mary Woods six minutes of tape. Nothing at all suspicious. From Sundance at CTH, President Trump Remarks on The Maricopa County Voting Result Database Being Deleted, Or Was It Always Assembled Off-site

PRESIDENT TRUMP – “The entire Database of Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED! This is illegal and the Arizona State Senate, who is leading the Forensic Audit, is up in arms. Additionally, seals were broken on the boxes that hold the votes, ballots are missing, and worse. Mark Brnovich, the Attorney General of Arizona, will now be forced to look into this unbelievable Election crime. Many Radical Left Democrats and weak Republicans are very worried about the fact that this has been exposed.

The DELETION of an entire Database and critical Election files of Maricopa County is unprecedented. Many other States to follow. The Mainstream Media and Radical Left Democrats want to stay as far away as possible from the Presidential Election Fraud, which should be one of the biggest stories of our time. Fox News is afraid to cover it—there is rarely a mention. Likewise, Newsmax has been virtually silent on this subject because they are intimidated by threats of lawsuits. One America News (OAN), one of the fastest growing networks on television, and the “hottest”, is doing a magnificent job of exposing the massive fraud that took place. The story is only getting bigger and at some point it will be impossible for the weak and/or corrupt media not to cover. Thank you to OAN and other brave American Patriots. It is all happening quickly!”

Stu Cvrk at Red State asks the entirely rhetorical question What Will It Take for the Legacy Media to Honestly Cover the Arizona Audit? There is nothing that can make them cover it honestly. Sundance provides the usual Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward Provides an Update on Maricopa County Ballot and Election Audit

Sophie Mann at JTN recount how an Election audit in small New Hampshire town could have implications for 2020 results statewide "In tiny Windham, a November hand recount in a state legislative race revealed vote count discrepancies up and down the ballot — all benefiting Democrats."  But WaPoo has found voter fraud worthy of national coverage, Man charged with wife’s murder illegally cast her ballot for Trump, officials say: ‘I just thought, give him another vote’

Rick Moran at PJ reports on how Media Democrat Looks to Censure Republicans Who Disagree With January 6 Narrative while WaPoo claims Bitter anger over Jan. 6 riots lingers in the House, prompting a week of tense standoff and legislative stalemate. Bitter anger from bitter clingers. 

On Wednesday, a freshman Republican used a House hearing investigating the attacks as a platform to compare the insurrection — which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer, and at least 140 officers injured — to tourists going through the building.

Later that evening, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — whom some Democrats have accused of implicitly supporting the Jan. 6 rioters — stomped out of the House chamber and down the steps screaming at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) about why she wouldn’t debate her on policy.

That prompted the young liberal star to raise the matter with security officials.

The incidents came as Democrats refuse to let Republicans who did not vote to certify President Biden’s election sign on to their bills. On Tuesday, Republicans took down a noncontroversial measure designed to fight opioid abuse because the lead Democrat refused to allow the previous GOP co-author a prominent slot on the legislation.

Way to Democrats, that'll show em! WaPoo also has a big article on the Jan. 6 incursionists,  A sprawling investigation: What we know so far about the Capitol riot suspects. I love this one: "Member of Super Happy Fun America, a Massachusetts based right-wing group" Sounds like a dangerous lot! At JTN, DHS offers $500k for public-private data sweep targeting 'violent extremists' in law enforcement. Meaning you know who. Anyone who disagrees with Democrats. 

As reported by Just the News this week, the DHS and the Department of Defense have announced internal investigations of "extremism" within their departments, raising alarms among conservative civil liberties watchdogs, as the agencies' notions of "extremism" were vague and appeared to omit from scrutiny far-left extremist groups implicated in widespread political violence in 2020.

Homeland Security to share harvested data with "peers, teachers, community leaders, and law enforcement" in "whole-of-society prevention" network.

Jon Solomon from JTN, FBI reclassifies 2017 Congressional baseball shooter as ‘domestic violent extremist’ From Da Blaze, after considerable brow beating from the right, FBI admits GOP baseball shooting was domestic terrorism after previously deeming it 'suicide by cop'

The FBI has "quietly" admitted that the 2017 shooting by a far-left radical who tried to murder several GOP members of Congress at a baseball field was, indeed, domestic terrorism, The Washington Examiner reported.

Last month, current FBI chief Christopher Wray was confronted by Republican lawmakers over the agency classifying the shooting as "suicide by cop" under a previous director.
What are the details?

The Examiner found in an FBI-DHS report released Friday detailing 85 "FBI-Designated Significant Domestic Terrorism Incidents in the United States from 2015 through 2019" classified the shooting at an Alexandria, Va., baseball field by a supporter of former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as "domestic violent extremism."

She's gone, but the story drags on and on:

Liz Cheney Lied About Her Role in Spreading the Discredited CIA "Russian Bounty" Story - Glenn Greenwald
In Wyoming, Trump endorsement will reshape race against Liz Cheney - Washington Examiner
Stefanik replacing Cheney and McCarthy's handling of the situation raises questions - The Washington Post
Stefanik is the wrong answer to Cheney's anti-Trump stand - HotAir
As Stefanik replaces Cheney, Democrats want to keep spotlight on Trump - Washington Examiner
Trump on GOP: 'I'm not looking to have it be party of Trump, I'm looking to have a great country' - Just The News

That deserves a great hair band video:

Palm Sunday Sunrise

 or sunset:

 Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and linkfest.