Mr. Mahoney/ Island Grille,
After reading of your decision to remove Red Drum from your menu in order to satisfy your customers, and/ or support the ban on commercial fishing of the fish, I must say that I am appalled.
I understand your desire to present your customers with the products they want, but what about the ones that wish to eat Red Drum?
Are you saying that you don't want their business?
What about the locals that visit your restaurant, whom make a living catching these and other fish?
Are they also not important to you?
By supporting this movement to stop commercial fishermen from catching these and other fish, you are helping to put them out of work.
Likewise, you are supporting an effort that will have negative impacts on the local economy, of which you as well as many others depend on in more ways than just how many plates you serve.
Furthermore, when you made this decision, subsequently you have snubbed almost every commercial fisherman, and many other locals alike.
Due to the fact that my family eats our seafood at home, I have only been to your restaurant on a few occasions, and when there I chose to eat non-seafood items.
However, due to your decision to remove this fish from your menu, I will not be eating there again. Even when the meal is provided for free by one of the several organizations I belong to, as in the past.
Furthermore, I will not recommend your establishment to anyone, rather suggest that they dine elsewhere.
In this spirit I have also decided to include your establishment on my " Banned Services " list on my website @ www.theclammerheadgroup.com
Which is an honor I have bestowed upon only one other business in over two years.
Although I regret that matters have come to this point, I do not regret making this decision.
Just as you have made a decision that you feel is best for your business, I have done likewise. One of which is commercial fishing.
There is no need to reply to this e-mail. You will remain of the " Banned Services " list until and if you should decide to put the fish back on the menu. In which event I would be very pleased to see an article put in the paper noting such, just as it was when you decided to remove the fish.
This e-mail, the article on you removing the fish from your menu, and other comments about the subject can be found @ http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2010/10/31/news-times/news/doc4ccc86f5c3627479691409.txt#blogcomments
I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision on the matter.
Thank you very much for your time.
Clammerhead ( David A. Cessna Sr. )
