The Sun Bay Paper Page 5 February 25, 2022 - March 3, 2022 Cont. from pg 1 FL. Asks for Veto on Bill That Prevents Suing Health-Care Over COVID Mexican fishing vessels now are prohibited from landing in U.S. Gulf of Mexico ports in a U.S. government effort to pressure the Mexican government to take action against illegal Mexican fishing of prized red snapper in U.S. Gulf waters. “Effective February 7, 2022, [Mexican fishing vessels] are prohibited from entering U.S. ports, and will be denied port access and services,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared. NOAA criticized the Mexican government for its, “Continued failure to combat unauthorized fishing activities by small hulled vessels in U.S. waters.” Small Mexican fishing vessels, called lanchas, are sneaking into U.S. waters to fish the productive red snapper and shark fishing grounds off the coast of southern Texas, depleting the valuable and fragile fish stocks. Red snapper are a species of reef fish renowned for their flavor, and shark fins sell for a premium in Asian markets. These species have faced threats from overfishing for a long time because they’re desirable and easy to catch. Only in December 2017 were vulnerable red snapper reclassified from “overfished” to “rebuilding.” Many of these small lanchas are using longlines to catch more fish. Longlining is an efficient commercial fishing method in which a single long fishing line, often many miles in length, is attached to a plastic or styrofoam float with hundreds or even thousands of hooks mounted on the line at intervals. This method of fishing is often criticized for the ecological harm it causes. Longlines catch fish indiscriminately, leading to high rates of bycatch, catching animals besides the desired target species. Unauthorized bottom longlines used by lanchas to catch red snapper result in the entanglement or hooking of endangered sea turtles like loggerheads and leatherbacks. The vertical lines can entangle or lacerate marine mammals. The unselective nature of longlining yields high rates of bycatch of sharks, reef fish, and other marine animals. Due to these dangers, longlines are banned in most U.S. waters and require a limited access permit along the Gulf Coast. Most permits issued for catching red snapper are for less damaging line and reel fishing . There are only 130 active bottom longline vessels currently permitted in the Gulf of Mexico. Susan Murray, deputy vice president of Oceana, a U.S. nonprofit organization working to protect and restore the global ocean, emphasized the downsides of longlining, saying, “Pelagic longlines have been banned off the West Coast for 40 years for good reason. This wasteful, indiscriminate gear catches and kills endangered and threatened species. When pelagic longlines were last tested off California, the outcome was disastrous – more than 75 percent of what was caught was thrown overboard as waste." The U.S. Coast Guard has found that some lanchas even use wall-like gill nets and long trotlines with many hooks, prohibited fishing techniques in the area due to their high rates of bycatch of sharks, endangered turtles, and other marine life. Mexico Takes Action Against Illegal Fishing The fishermen responsible for fishing illegally are rarely caught due to their lanchas’ low profiles and fast outboard engines capable of outrunning many Coast Guard vessels. Even when caught and detained, these fishermen face no consequences beyond having their boats and gear confiscated. Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, ensures that all foreign fishermen detained are not prosecuted by the coastal country. When they arrive back in Mexico, they face no consequences and according to U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Ippolito, many even buy a new boat and return to U.S. fishing grounds. But that is changing. The U.S. border with Mexico is located where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf of Mexico – with Brownsville in Texas on the U.S. side and Matamoros in Mexico’s northernmost Gulf state, Tamaulipas. In Tamaulipas, Mexican authorities have begun taking action to combat illegal fishing of U.S. Gulf waters. CONAPESCA, Mexico’s fishery management agency, has begun conducting coastal surveillance, instituting vehicular checkpoints, and speaking directly with fishermen and a fishing cooperative in the area to prevent further incursions. These actions are primarily taking place near Playa Bagdad, Bagdad Beach, where many of the fishermen who fish U.S. waters illegally are based. The popular beach is located across the Rio Grande just two miles (three km) from Lt. Commander Ippolito on South Padre Island. “This is all a first phase implemented to definitively resolve this problem,” explains Mexico’s National Commission for Aquaculture and Fisheries, CONAPESCA. The Government of Mexico has strengthened the “inter-institutional tasks of awareness, ordering, inspection and surveillance in the area” through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and through CONAPESCA, and in coordination with the Secretaries of the Navy, Foreign Affairs and Economy, as well as the National Guard and the National Institute of Migration. Mexican authorities have carried out air and sea tours along the border coastline, as well as land tours and vehicular checkpoints in the area of Playa Bagdad. Mexico must act quickly to regain the favor of its most important seafood trade partner – the United States. ENS U.S. Pressures Mexico to Curb Illegal Fishing of Gulf Waters At least 35 organizations have called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill that would prevent patients and families from suing health-care providers over COVID19-related injuries, deaths and lack of treatment. The bill, SB 7014, “COVID19-related Claims Against Health Care Providers,” was presented to the governor Feb. 17. He has until Thursday to veto, sign, or ignore it. By ignoring it, according to the state constitution, the bill would become law, effective immediately. “We know you share with us the core values of protecting life, individual liberty and the freedom of medical choice,” R. Shawn McBride, with the American Freedom Information Institute, who signed the letter, said. “Yet what has happened – on countless occasions – and will continue to happen in Florida if this law is adopted, is that Floridians are being denied treatment, checked into hospitals and cut-off from their loved ones and medical decision makers. At that point the patient loses control and the hospital uses the protocols they decide in many cases not even following the patient's care decisions.” Submitted for consideration by Judiciary on Nov. 22 last year, the bill “extends the duration of liability protections from COVID-19-related claims against health care providers.” According to the bill analysis, the legislature “determined that special civil liability protections against COVID19-related claims were essential for the survival of individuals, businesses, health care providers, and other organizations. In an effort to protect those entities that contributed to the overall wellbeing of the state,” the legislature passed the bill. It passed by a vote of 87-31 in the House and 22-13 in the Senate. The bill would provide liability protection to health-care providers that follow “governmentissued health standards” that “include the CDC's Covid-19 guidelines, which many say aren't working. Some medical professionals have stated that these CDC protocols have led to unnecessary medicines, ventilation and deaths.” If the bill goes into law in its current form, health-care providers “could simply follow the CDC's guidelines against their patient's wishes and re-main free from liability,” they argue. Joining McBride were groups including Freedom Flyers Political Action, Medical Freedom Coalition, Florida Citizens Alliance, among others. They collectively represent hundreds of thousands of members and participants. When asked about the letter, DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw told The Center Square, “The governor’s office has received the letter and is aware of the concerns raised by patient advocates. We will most likely have an update to share with you later this week. Governor DeSantis is working to ensure that patients’ rights are protected in Florida and that healthcare providers are free to use their best judgment to treat patients.” At a Feb. 2 press conference, DeSantis said the legislature would be working on a package to protect health-care rights for patients. In response to a question from a reporter with The Alachua Chronicle, DeSantis said, “COVID cannot be used as an excuse to deny patients’ basic rights. … So we’re going to have some type of Patient’s Bill of Rights… and also, in nursing homes, too.” When asked if he supported “right-to-try” laws, he answered, “Yes–honestly, that should be the law anyway. … I believe in the principle of right-to-try… and our Surgeon General said this too: It’s totally inappropriate to crack down on a physician for practicing medicine." Bethany Blankley The Center Squar
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA2ODE3