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The ASMFC Summer Meeting will take place August 4th-6th in D.C. and MAFMC meeting and the Joint meeting with ASMFC for next year’s Summer Flounder will take place in Philadelphia. I have included the agenda for the ASMFC meeting but the was no agenda for the MAFMC and the Joint meeting posted on the website at this time.
There are many important issues coming up in both meetings. The MAFMC is in Philadelphia so you can go for the day and attend for the day and see how we never get the increase that we should. All you need to do is go to the MAFMC website and check when the agenda is posted.
When JCAA was formed, it was formed by seven clubs trying to work together on specific issues. The clubs at that time had many members who wanted to get involved and the clubs would send delegates to the meetings. The process was simple. Presentations were made at meetings and a motion might be made. If delegates were not comfortable voting for their clubs at that time, they would take the motion back to their clubs and a vote would be held at the following meeting. We were lucky to have a very diverse number of clubs from different sectors of the recreational industry and also some environmental members. We had the beach fishermen, the offshore fishermen, and the inshore fishermen. We did not have to go out to a general membership since they were represented by their club. At that time, we did not have the internet/technology that we could use to sample the entire fishing community. I think this gives a great diversity of JCAA. What we need is more participation from clubs that are no longer members. When I was at the last general meeting someone said to me “your club” insinuating that JCAA was my club. I pointed out that since I don’t represent a club at general meetings, I don’t even have a vote. The clubs need to attend and vote for their members.
If you belong to a fishing club, this is your organization. Make sure your club belongs to JCAA and is actively involved. The more clubs we have, the more clout we have and the more likely our legislators are to listen to us. A general membership organization takes people to reach out to the membership, monitor membership and keep in touch with everyone. We don’t have the people that this work would require. If you look at general membership organizations, most of them have a paid director. The other organization that has a general membership is the NJ State Federation of Sportsmen Clubs. They have chapters in every county that meet and bring positions to their general membership meetings. They are a much bigger organization than JCAA and they have the money and a great number of volunteers that would be required. We are always open to suggestions, but we need to get the support of clubs. Without the clubs JCAA cannot exist.
The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.