Comment from Ben Bowman

Please find attached Food and Water Watch's comments on Amendment 1 to the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan. Excerpt: 'We strongly oppose the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Mid-Atlantic Council) plan to institute an individual fishing quota (IFQ) system for tilefish through Tilefish Amendment 1 (TA1) to the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan (Tilefish FMP). IFQ systems amount to little more than a privatization scheme for valuable public resources and can ultimately damage both the marine environment and long-term stability of coastal communities’ economies. FWW asserts that this outdated privatization agenda is contrary to the long-term interests of the U.S. people - the actual resource owners. We urge you to disapprove TA1 and instead develop a management program that effectively promotes both healthy wild fish populations and fisheries as a whole.' Thanks and regards, Ben Bowman