Gwen Graham votes against thousands of Florida fishermen
Did you see Gwen Graham’s floor speech yesterday talking about how important red snapper is to North Florida’s economy?
“In the panhandle of North Florida, red snapper is a way of life. Thousands of commercial fishermen and charter boat captains depend on a healthy catch to make a living. Tens of thousands of recreational fishermen spend their free time and are personally invested in fishing. And hundreds of restaurants serve red snapper to hundreds of thousands of visitors to the area every year. Seafood is a $7 billion industry in the gulf and red snapper is a big part of it.”
-Gwen Graham, June 1, 2015
Graham’s speech would have been a thing of beauty if she only meant what she said about red snapper fishermen instead of (spoiler alert!!!) voting against the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This bill gives Florida greater control over local fishing policies, including more flexibility to consider the local economic needs of commercial and recreational fishing communities. It has overwhelming support, including support from the National Restaurant Association; National Fisheries Institute; Coastal Conservation Association; Center for Coastal Conservation; the American Sportfishing Association; and Panama City’s own Bay County Chamber of Commerce and Captain Anderson’s Marina.
While it’s insulting enough that Graham would oppose a bill supported by so many groups, including the local Chamber of Commerce and businesses in her district, the hypocritical speech she gave before she voted against the bill puts the icing on the cake.