The Sorting Table delves into commercial fishing news from coast to coast. The editorial staff of National Fisherman invites you to share your insights on what’s going on in the industry.
CategoriesRecent EntriesHow'd you get here?Countdown to Pacific Marine ExpoThe burden of being menhadenFo'c'sle library (a classic)Bill may curb southeast sea ottersCod numbers reportedly take a turn for the worseFresh off the boatYou, too, on YouTubeHello, I must be going nowCreating a market for under-valued fishRecent CommentsMike Dolan on NOAA is all apologiesBrian on Introducing the iLobsterBen on Introducing the iLobsterBeringFisherman on Groundfish catch shares going bi-coastal Dick Allen on Jane, doh!National Fisherman on Jane, doh!Wreckfish on Jane, doh!Sierra Anderson on Facing factsken grimshaw on Tough loveJessica on Recovery in a snapArchivesNovember 2011October 2011September 2011August 2011July 2011June 2011May 2011April 2011March 2011February 2011« Hello, I must be going now |Main| Fresh off the boat »October 21, 2011You, too, on YouTubeIs it possible that YouTube can do as much, if not more, for fishermen than Senate public hearings can?
Recently, interviews filmed with Gloucester, Mass., Mayor Carolyn Kirk and New Bedford, Mass., Mayor Scott Lang following the Oct. 3 Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing in Boston, were posted on YouTube. The interviews deal with the negative impact the groundfish sector management system has had upon fishermen and their communities, and the frustration these historic fishing ports feel regarding NOAA’s overaggressive enforcement of fishing regulations.
In Kirk’s interview, she says, “We're losing jobs and we're losing faith in our government because of the overzealous enforcement of fishing regulations and a management scheme that is driving small business people out of business.”
The views of Kirk, a Democrat, on the negative economic impact sector management has had on her community caught the eye of several media outlets, including the Drudge Report website and Fox News conservative commentator Sean Hannity’s radio program, and the Gloucester (Mass.) Times.
The Lang interview caught the eye of the Townhall.com, a conservative and political opinion website (“Second Dem Mayor Slams NOAA, “Catch Shares A Disaster”). Lang’s views echo Kirk’s.
“In all honestly, two-thirds of the vessels haven’t been active since August. And it’s put a real damper on the ability, I think, of the fishing community to remain vibrant,” Lang says in the video. “Which means there’s been an untold hardship as far as economics on the fishing families, as well as that social and interpersonal type of conflict that takes place when every man and woman is worried about how we’re going to make the next bill. We’ve got the worst economy since The Great Depression, and we’re keeping people from working.”
The two videos suggest that fishermen can utilize a simple, yet powerful method of attracting attention to their plight, and educating people about their industry. If you’ve got a cell phone that can shoot video and a story to tell, you, too, can post it on YouTube and get your message out to the media and the general public.
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83446c27d53ef0162fbd1714c970d
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference You, too, on YouTube:
Comments Verify your Comment Previewing your CommentPosted by: |This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
Your comment could not be posted. Error type: Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again. As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
Your Information
(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)
Name is required to post a comment
Please enter a valid email address
Invalid URL
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://thesortingtable.nationalfisherman.com/2011/10/you-too-on-youtube.html", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});