Greetings Fellow Fishers,

The DC Rally was a heck of an experience.  Often we choose not to get involved because we fear that committing our time and effort will not make a difference.  We choose to stand on the side line and watch, thinking that if there’s a chance anything can be done, you alone will not make the difference.  I too had these concerns when dedicating my time and the Ocean Isle Fishing Center’s money to arrange for a bus to take a group up to the DC Fishing Rights Rally.  I could just picture us showing up and being the large part of a very small crowd.  However, that could not have been the farthest from the truth.  Everyone that rode our bus agreed that this was a worthwhile effort and the general sense was that we might actually make a difference.

I crossed the bridge to Ocean Isle at 3:55am and looked down on a packed OIFC parking lot.  Commercial fishermen, For-Hire fishermen and recreational fishermen all mingled in the parking lot.  The bus showed up minutes later and after loading up our “I FISH, I VOTE” pickets (supplied by Charter Lakes Insurance), we were out of the parking lot at 4:15am sharp.  The ride up was uneventful and seemed to go by pretty fast.  We made a stop at McDonalds for breakfast, and I was impressed with how well they handled getting a bus load of 50+ hungry fishermen dropped on them.  We missed most of the traffic and at 11:30am we were standing in between Union Station and the State Capitol.  The Rally had begun to form as a stage and large banner were set up on the lawn in front of the State Capitol.  Fisheremen were pouring in from all directions, most toting signs and some wearing bibs, fish hats, rubber boots…..  Our group made a plan to meet back together at 3:15pm and headed into the Rally crowd.  The Rally started at 12pm sharp and the crowd continued to grow, 50 yards wide by a hundred yards deep at least- I heard them say maybe 4000-5000 in attendance.  One after another Senators, Reps, Mayors, Governors, Lobbyists, Fishermen took the stage.  It was a very well orchestrated event as each person had a different story.  The Congressmen that showed were both Democrats and Republicans- notables that I recognized included Shumer, Frank, Scott Brown, McIntyre, Kaye Hagan and several others from the northeast, carolinas and Florida; all pledging their support for House Bill 1584 and Senate Bill 1255- providing for flexibility in fisheries reform.  In between elected officials you’d get Fishermen and business owners who would tell their story.  They were some of the most interesting speakers, many very impassioned, but surprisingly, all were very well behaved.  The buzz word with elected officials seemed to be “jobs”, as they were preaching the hot topic of job loss.  Closing fisheries is increasing our unemployment as well as destroying much of Americas heritage.  Save the fishermen, not just the fish.  Also widely mentioned was that the best stewards of the sea were the fishermen, not the NMFS folks sitting behind a desk, using bad science to make their decisions.

It was much as I would have pictured a Rally.  Big crowds, lots of pickets of all variety, a colorful crowd and lots of yelling and emotion.  Points were made on stage and the crowd would roar; in between there was the constant single yell from a crowd member:  “What about us? ” or “Pew Sucks ” or “Down with NMFS”……  At 1:15pm I looked down at my watch and wondered how on Earth they were going to keep this going until 3pm.  But they did.  Speakers continued to flow and it never got boring.  At 2:15pm my wife and I decided to walk around the scene a bit to take it all in.  I thought this may be the only Rally we ever attend in our life, so we should take in the experience.  We shook hands and ran into friends from the SKA.  We saw news crews interviewing and secret service standing by with a watchful eye.  The crowd was diverse, but somehow you could tell they were all fishermen.  Racoon eyes, sun baked skin, white beards, dread locks, flip flops, fishing shirts, rubber boots….. We continued toward the back of the crowd when it happened.  Jim Donofrio with the RFA ( he organized the Rally ) and one of the event MC’s called out from stage, “Is Brant McMullan here?”  I froze; my eyes looked like those of a Grouper just pulled up from 200+ feet.  Again, “Brant McMullan, you out there?”  I ducked to hide for a second, my wife grabbing me to get up there.  Again, “Brant are you here?”  Then it hit me.  When will I ever again get the chance to stand on the steps of the Capitol in front of a huge Rally crowd.  I would regret missing the chance.  So, just like Jenny did in Forest Gump, I threw my hands in the air and began shouting, “Here I am!”  I was a good 100 yards from the stage, in the very back.  The crowd around me starting yelling and parted all the way to the stage.  It was surreal.  I sprinted to the front, all eyes on me.  A man reached down from the stage to grab my hand and help me jump right to the stage.  I will confess, as I was running, one thought dominated my mind.  I had recently seriously muffed the speech at my brother’s wedding, “Don’t mess up.  Redeem yourself.”  I jumped on stage and turned to the crowd.  There I was.  I did not go into a rant about the NMFS or fish closures, but instead opted for recognizing all the folks who rode the bus up from Myrtle Beach to Wilmington- “We are here!”  I thanked the RFA for their work and thanked all the fishermen from all walks for showing up.  I was thinking, “I want this picture” — so I concluded with a fist raise and “Hoorah.”  Mark that one off the bucket list.
The Rally ended promptly at 3pm and everyone made their way to the bus.  We were on the road by 3:45pm.  Traffic was a mess and south of DC it started raining.  The ride home took forever as everyone was tired and ready to get home.  We bombarded a Wendy’s for dinner, which was not ready, throwing us later home.  We pulled into the OIFC parking lot at 1:30am.

Everyone went their way and hopefully is telling their story of adventure.  It is a memory that I likely will never forget, and well worth my time and effort.
Thanks to all those who volunteerd their time to ride up to DC with us.  Thanks to Jim Donofrio and the RFA for hosting and organizing the Rally and thanks to all the elected officials for taking their time to show their support.
Now, the work must continue.  You must contact your elected officials and ask that they support House Bill 1584 and Senate Bill 1255.  The thing is that it can’t just be our own elected officials.  You need to call your relatives, friends…. from all states- whether its Kansas, Minnesota…. and have them to ask their reps to support the bills.  Support from just the coastal states won’t be enough.  Visit www.unitedwefish.com and www.joinrfa.org for details on the status of the bills and how you can help.

Below are some pics the DC trip-
Mike McIntrye