Possibable meeting with Bob Greenlee

[Earl Phillips Jr]

Bob has responded to my request to meet with him to discuss a "plan of attack" and to officially put out input in as a catfishing club with stakes on the rivers in question. There is a window of opportunity for this meeting of 23-26 May in the evenings. Now bob is a flexible man and wants to meet with us and is working us into his schedule so please lets us make it worth while.

I am asking which evening of these dates would be best for the clubs to join him to discuss this matter the meeting will be at the Rice building VDGIF meeting room. I will get the actual address to post when I return Bob's e-mail. Please respond with an RSVP to me asap so I can get this set up

[River Lizard]

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
3801 John Tyler Memorial Highway
Charles City, VA 23030
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&su...-8&sa=N&tab=wl


You can count on me to be at the meeting regardless of the date and time, as long as I have a couple days notice, I'll take time off from work if I have to. This is definitely high priority and we need to show GIT just how many people are against their plan....I don't think they have a clue, all they hear from is the Comm guys on a regular basis complaining about the Blue Catfish...so they figure it's time to do something about it. Now they can hear the voice of US and then they'll realize this issue involves alot more than just the Comm guys!

[jerry9497]

I like the way in the NC law on drum and striper that they compared the benifits.. commercial fishermen brought 9 million to the economy and recreational fishing brought in 120 million. I hope the numbers work that way for catfish also.

[River Lizard]

At one point I was working with Bob Greenlee to get a form designed that would help him project the economic benefit of our fishery by having guys answer the questions on the form and then submitting those to Bob. The aim was to get a current updated figure on just how much is being spent on catfishing in the area. We never finished the form before I left ODCC.

[WVBowhunter]

This is definitely high priority and we need to show GIT just how many people are against their plan....I don't think they have a clue,

well as of this morning they have received 6925 emails from the petition

[River Lizard]

If there's 291 that have signed why is there 6K plus emails going to them? If it's setup to send multi-emails each of the members, they may request their IT department to mark those as spam/block and then none of them would show up. I'm not understanding why the email count is so high vs how many have signed the petition?
We need to plead our case but at the same time we don't want to look like a bunch of spammers just trying to fill their inboxes with repeated emails over and over again, the true point will get lost and they're be just looking at over spamming. I hope this isn't the case.

[jerry9497]

One petition signing sends 1 email to more than 30 people. At 100 signers a day that would be each Git member would get 100 emails a day.....all 30 plus......3000 a day

[River Lizard]

Gotcha. Thanks. Was worried that it was tripled up to send multi-emails to each mailbox.

Thanks.

[WVBowhunter]

Well this also helps our ammunition when taking this to the next step whether it be legal means or political means - meaning we have x number of signatures representing the sportsmen and x number of sportsmen from other countries that are obvious tourism moneys.

[Earl Phillips Jr]

I will try to set it up for next wed. at 7:30pm some where local so it's easy for all of us. I will post it when it's set up

[Earl Phillips Jr]

Ok the date and time are set for the meeting with Bob Greenlee, it will be Wednesday May,25 at 7:30 pm we just need a location, Bob is requesting a location in mechanicsville if at all possible. I think that will work for Jeff and Me also so Jeff if you have a place in mind please say so. I am at a lost for a dinner place other than Guss' in the shopping center where the Martin's is across from Home Depot.

[River Lizard]

Earl,

I don't know much about mechanicsville area...I can ask around and get back to you with information this weekend.
How many people are we talking about showing up to this meeting?

[Earl Phillips Jr]

Jeff,
I am not sure there are a bunch of maybe's but you and I are a sure bet for 2 at least. I have some questions from guys that just can not make it due to work or other issues but at least they have given me their concerns to relay. I am thinking that the Italian kitchen on Lee Davis road next to the high school or the Guss' by the home depot. there the only two I know of.

I will say that if anyone has any issues they want relayed or concerns they want to bring up then pass them on to me and I will take them to the meeting with me.

[River Lizard]

Earl,

Just got off the phone with my wife.....she thought the Italian Kitchen would be a good place. Other than that one she didn't know of any.

I will definitely be there one way or another.....I have to sign some paperwork for my broker in Glen Allen right after work (6:00 pm) but then I'll head directly there.

[Earl Phillips Jr]

Ok the Italian Kitchen is it then, I will send Bob an E-Mail

[Earl Phillips Jr]

OK Bob confirmed that he will be there Wednesday at 7:30 at the Italian Kitchen, so get your stuff together and either give it to Jeff or my self for the meeting or bring it your self. we really need a good showing so Bob knows we are not just jerking his chain.

[River Lizard]

Earl,

Do you have a head count as to who's all going to the meeting Wednesday? I hope more show up then what happened at the last meeting with Bob at DGIF. I think he was a little disappointed at the turnout.

We (cat fishermen) need to come up with solution to the millions of small catfish in the James or it's going to wipe out our trophy fishery anyway. If we get over this issue with GIT, we shouldn't stop there, we need to continue attempting to resolve the above issue. I got the feeling talking with Bob, that he'd be willing to work with us to come up with a solution that would help reduce overall numbers of the smaller ones. It's just finding that solution is what is going to be tough. And being able to get the Comm guys to work with us too.

[Earl Phillips Jr]

Jeff,
I am working on a head count but as of right now it looks like just 3 or 4 guys including you and I, I am really disappointed at the interest in this. It's our sport and our fishery and we are being told by a bunch of ANTI-SPORTSMEN how we are going to have to act and fish. I would think that others that fish the tidal rivers in Virginia and Maryland would have an interest in this as much as you and I.

I have offered to carry the questions, concerns and comments to Bob at this meeting and as of this morning I have received nothing. I think that is the most disappointing of all, no one has anything to say.

I feel that this is one of those things that is we all play Ostrich and stick our heads in the sand and hope it passes over that we will be sorely disappointed on the outcome as the GIT team has a real agenda and that is to wipe out Catfishing in all coastal and tidal rivers on the Chesapeake Bay.


Jeff, I also agree to the issue with the smaller catfish, there are not enough natural predators to keep the smaller ones in check naturally, (while in the larval, fry and juvenile stages) as would naturally happen in the wilds. I have several theories on this and would love to share them with Bob and the rest of the guys at VDGIF I just have not had to opportunity to do so. I also have a working theory on a solution also.


I will compile my work to present to Bob Wednesday evening and we can all go over it together.

[Earl Phillips Jr]

I have just finished a power point presentation for Bob and will have it printed out here shortly. I also have the list of signatures as of yesterday for Bob also. I will be heading to Ashland this morning to work on my truck so I'll be back later this afternoon to check in.

I would like to see some ideas on :regulating small catfish to manageable numbers in the tidal river of the bay, tighter regulations on commercial fishing with larger creel limits to help regulate small catfish, tighter enforcement on illegal trot lines and trawls in the tidal rivers. and so on.

please guys give me something to carry to the table other than the little I have in hand.

[River Lizard]

Earl,

I'll type up some of my ideas for managing the small population and also recommendations for limiting the area Comm. guys can harvest on the James. I would think that if the Tidal line is clear down river, VDGIF should be able to manage above that line and set regulations for EVERYONE including Comm. guys. We all know there's only 1 reason they're setting nets and pots clear up to the HWD area.