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Love NYS. Broken links have been updated.

Today is the day some in our industry get to return to work as NY regional openings begin. It has been known that as all businesses return to work we must implement new pandemic procedures and protocols in order to move forward. NYS has put a lot of information up on the NYS website regarding all of this and it is imperative that we all do a solid job to represent our industry in a positive way. Guidelines are one thing but NYS demands proper documentation also. Cleaning protocols are something that we should be very familiar with just due to the very nature of our business. However the documentation demands are something that is new to our industry and in the eyes of the state it is a big one. Please read all of the information on the links below. If anyone has questions and needs advice about these guidelines or how to implement these procedures and protocols please don't hesitate to reach out. For a full list of the industries reopening- https://forward.ny.gov/industries-reopening-phase?fbclid=IwAR06wyw_C1aj0Nz0F7iASvTXxi5JFtlHfFVDuXZOiho4TZSOmQAMXFxAh-E Guidelines- https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/FishingForHireVesselsShortGuidelines.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1RKIQnFXp8FFlgktiHXvJlE7FytUlkoKqN16yKWOVHVi9i18i33MtIhAs Safety Plan- https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/NYS_BusinessReopeningSafetyPlanTemplate.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3ggIatPdgScul16ZZ00-x7fS8p-_97RdKqElDz5P85u0yliWbu0NH6MBY Must submit this to NYS- https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/FishingForHireVesselsMasterGuidance.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2bv8agfdFrSWG_PX6SbdUqy03nekvg5G46yFf7npbyOiKNTZiATGJP5jY CDC Printable Resources- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/print-resources.html?Sort=Date%3A%3Adesc&fbclid=IwAR2_Fwu6Ziw9a17D3mZfINtD40hhfw3YZP6FE5D_HxLIhEfsgDPJi9Kl7dw Online Health Screening Assessment- https://covid19screening.health.ny.gov/covid-19-screening/ Captain Rob Westcott LOCBA President PO Box 1046 Webster, NY 14580 www.lakeontariocharterboatassociation.com [email protected] 585-703-0969

Hello, Today this letter was delivered to the Governor's office as an industry driven plan to reopen. Please share with anyone who may be able to help convey our message. Thank you Captain Rob Westcott LOCBA President PO Box 1046 Webster, NY 14580 www.lakeontariocharterboatassociation.com [email protected] 585-703-0969

Honestly, not too many "secrets" that I am not willing to share.

Braid

Depends on the bite. Sometimes its Chinook divers and other times its a standard diver with a mag ring (my normal diver setup).

Chute rod would be any of those copper or leadcore lengths. So if im running 2 150' coppers on one side and 2 100' coppers on the other side i may have a 10 color chute rod.

30-50'= 3 riggers 2 divers 5 junk lines= 2 of the same lengths (50, 100, 150 coopers, 3,5, or 10 color lead) on each side (big boards) along with a chute rod 12-15'= 2 riggers 2 chinook divers 3 mono flat lines on each side off the big boards

For sure pick a diver rod. Okuma Blue diamond or Okuma White Diamond are both solid picks

This letter was officially sent by LOCBA to those with political influence along with NYS politicians including Governor Cuomo. Please feel free to share this with anyone you feel needs to see this and may be able to help. Website: https://lakeontariocharterboatassociation.com/ Follow us on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/lakeontariocharterboatassociation/

Lake Ontario Charter Boat Association Captain Rob Westcott President PO Box 1046 Webster, NY 14580 [email protected] www.locba.org April 26, 2020 For most of us, there has never been a time in our lives where we have had to deal with such uncertainty. Although we all have different situations and experiences, we find ourselves navigating the same rough waters. As the President of the Lake Ontario Charter Boat Association (LOCBA) I feel it is my responsibility to help support and facilitate getting the fishing charter boat community back working. For us captains, our work is much more than a just a job, our work is our life’s passion and we are very fortunate to do something that we truly love. As United States Coast Guard licensed captains our number one priority is and always will be the health and safety of our customers and crew. In a strong federally regulated industry, this practice is something that is adhered to and executed by all of us on a constant daily basis. Each and every captain on Lake Ontario represents a small business and that equates to hundreds of small businesses all across New York State. We are the text book definition of small business as these charter businesses in most cases are owned and operated by their respected captains. At this moment in time, as I write this, each one of those businesses is without a revenue stream and they have been since they were deemed “nonessential” by the state’s pandemic mandate. Unfortunately for us, this happened right at a time where things were beginning to ramp up for the season. For most of the Lake Ontario Charter Captains, this is their bread and butter. It is business that is solely based on season and the lost time for us is not something that we can recapture. The majority of revenue of these small businesses happens to be in a short window and due to the mandate, our window of opportunity is becoming shorter and shorter. Already the losses felt in our industry have already been substantial. As the owner of two small businesses that have been deemed “nonessential” I have personally experienced the toll that this pandemic mandate has had. As with many other small businesses in NYS, all said and done, many will not survive this. As owners of small business, we are willing to do what it takes to get us back on the water working again and are hoping to work with those to make it happen. It is important to say that the initial purpose of this correspondence is not to demand our businesses be opened but to facilitate the means in which we can. LOCBA is not officially suggesting or submitting policy, rules, or regulations but we would be open to providing stakeholders to work with officials on a local, county, and state level. LOCBA has compiled a list of stakeholders that could be used to help facilitate that, if deemed necessary. Lake wide and industry wide, we are willing to formulate a plan to create proper health and safety protocols to get our industry back to work. Thank you for your time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or to LOCBA. Captain Rob Westcott 585-703-0969 LOCBA Pandemic and Mandate.docx