I am currently outside in the Lower 48 at sportsman shows. I recently got word of the charter fleet moratorium being passed by NOAA. I also read the article from Mr. Murphy and Mr. Ward.

My question is: Do NOAA, Rex Murphy and Bob Ward really believe it is just that easy? They are not "freezing the fleet at its current size" as quoted in the newspaper, they are reducing it to their set predetermined "control date." They are actually forcing established charter owners who have been fishing the last four to five years to close their doors.

As I see it, next comes the "Class Action Lawsuit" against NOAA, NPFMC and those individuals who pushed written drafts and lobbied for the moratorium as it is written today. This suit will be for violation of our constitutional rights to free enterprise by shutting down "established businesses" and also will be for monetary amount of lost revenue for the next 20-plus years for each "established business" that has had to shut down due to this ruling. I am relatively positive that each and every operator that gets shut down will be signing onto that lawsuit.

Then from there of course will come the lobbying and a push for a "one fish limit" for all of Southcentral as they have already done in Southeast. Those of us shut down by the moratorium definitely want the fish to actually benefit from this moratorium. A one-fish limit per angler will guarantee that this moratorium that they want will actually benefit the fish. Those of us shut down will be pushing for this ... guaranteed.

I am sure any court will see it as a discrimination for the state and feds to reduce the limit to one fish in Southeast and not in Southcentral when the fishing pressure is the same. The one thing to remember is that the people that are shut down all have voices, votes and can lobby just as well as those who did for the moratorium. We will be sure to put the fish first. Let's all see where this "Pandora's box" goes from here.

John W. S. Johnson