🤝 COALITION UNITES: 50+ ORGANIZATIONS DEMAND IMMEDIATE ACTION TO SAVE MAHI FISHERY

January 13, 2022 - In an unprecedented show of unity, S.A.F.E. has joined a coalition of over 50 fishing, conservation, and business organizations in submitting an emergency letter demanding immediate action to save the collapsing South Atlantic dolphinfish (mahi-mahi) fishery. The coalition letter represents the broadest and most diverse alliance ever assembled to address a single fishery crisis in the Southeast.

📜 THE COALITION LETTER: FORMATTED VERSION

🔗 Download the Original Coalition Letter (PDF)

🎯 WHY THIS COALITION MATTERS

UNPRECEDENTED UNITY

This coalition represents:

• 🤝 Traditional adversaries finding common ground
• 🎣 All fishery sectors united around sustainability
• 🌊 Broad geographic representation from entire Southeast
• 💰 Economic and ecological interests aligned

POLITICAL POWER

52 organizations represent:

• 👥 Millions of members and supporters
• 💰 Billions in economic activity
• 🗳️ Significant political influence
• 📰 Major media attention

SCIENTIFIC CREDIBILITY

The coalition’s demands are backed by:

• 📊 Hard data from multiple sources
• 🔬 Peer-reviewed science on fishery declines
• 🎣 Fishermen’s observations across the region
• 📈 Economic impact studies

📊 THE COALITION’S STRATEGY

MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH

1. 📜 Formal letter to all management agencies
2. 📰 Media campaign to raise public awareness
3. 🗣️ Public testimony at upcoming meetings
4. 📱 Social media mobilization of members
5. 📧 Direct lobbying of key decision-makers
6. 🤝 Coalition building with additional partners

TIMELINE FOR ACTION

• ⏰ January 2022: Coalition letter delivery
• 📅 February 2022: Council meeting testimony
• 🌊 March 2022: Implementation pressure campaign
• 🎣 April 2022: 2022 fishing season preparations
• 📊 Ongoing: Monitoring and adjustment

🏆 S.A.F.E.‘S LEADERSHIP ROLE

COALITION COORDINATION

• 🤝 Helped organize diverse stakeholder groups
• 📝 Drafted key sections of the coalition letter
• 📊 Provided data from fishing community surveys
• 🗣️ Coordinated testimony strategy

BRIDGE BUILDING

• 🎣 Connected recreational and commercial interests
• 💰 Aligned economic and conservation priorities
• 🌊 Linked scientific and practical perspectives
• 🏛️ Facilitated communication with agencies

STRATEGIC ADVOCACY

• 📈 Focused on achievable immediate measures
• ⚖️ Balanced competing interests fairly
• 🔬 Grounded in science and data
• 🤝 Built consensus around common goals

📈 EXPECTED OUTCOMES

IMMEDIATE GOALS (0-90 DAYS)

1. ✅ Emergency declaration by management agencies
2. ✅ Commercial trip limits implemented
3. ✅ Reduced recreational limits adopted
4. ✅ Stakeholder process established

MEDIUM-TERM GOALS (3-12 MONTHS)

1. 📊 Comprehensive stock assessment completed
2. 🌊 Ecosystem management plan developed
3. 🤝 Sector allocation agreement reached
4. 📈 Monitoring system operational

LONG-TERM VISION (1-3 YEARS)

1. 🎣 Sustainable harvest levels established
2. 🐟 Breeding stock recovered
3. 💰 Economic stability restored
4. 🌊 Model management system created

📄 RESOURCES AND NEXT STEPS

🎯 HOW TO SUPPORT THE COALITION

FOR ORGANIZATIONS:

1. 🤝 Join the coalition if you haven’t already
2. 📢 Mobilize your members to take action
3. 📰 Issue press releases supporting the demands
4. 🗣️ Provide testimony at council meetings

FOR INDIVIDUALS:

1. 📝 Sign the public petition (linked above)
2. 📧 Email council members demanding action
3. 📱 Share on social media with #SaveTheMahi
4. 🗣️ Attend virtual meetings and speak up
5. 💵 Support coalition organizations like S.A.F.E.

FOR BUSINESSES:

1. 💰 Contribute to advocacy efforts
2. 📊 Provide economic data on fishery importance
3. 👥 Engage employees and customers in advocacy
4. 🏢 Join business coalitions supporting the effort

S.A.F.E. - South Atlantic Fishing Environmentalists Building coalitions that can’t be ignored

Special recognition to every organization that joined this coalition. Your willingness to set aside differences and unite around saving this fishery demonstrates true leadership and commitment to sustainable oceans.

🏆 FINAL REFLECTION: THE POWER OF UNITY

The “Save the Mahi” coalition letter represents something rare and powerful in fisheries management: unity across traditional divides.

For too long, fishery management has been characterized by:

• 🎣 Recreational vs. commercial conflict
• 🌊 Conservation vs. economic tension
• 🔬 Science vs. tradition disagreements
• 🏛️ Agencies vs. stakeholders distrust

This coalition breaks all those patterns. It shows that when a fishery is truly in crisis, when the data is clear, when the stakes are high enough—people can come together.

The 52 organizations signing this letter don’t agree on everything. They have different interests, different priorities, different perspectives. But they all agree on one thing: The mahi fishery must be saved, and it must be saved now.

That unity gives this coalition something that individual organizations rarely have: unstoppable moral and political authority.

When recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, conservationists, business owners, scientists, and community leaders all stand together and say the same thing—managers have to listen.

This isn’t just about saving fish. It’s about saving a way of life. It’s about proving that diverse interests can find common ground. It’s about demonstrating that when we work together, we can solve even the most difficult problems.

The coalition has spoken. Now the question is: Will managers have the courage to act?

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. The mahi coalition proves that when we unite around saving what we love, we become an unstoppable force for change.”