February 2011 American Sportfishing Association Policy Watch
Policy Watch is a monthly update for the sportfishing community about the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) Government Affairs activities.
For more information on ASA Government Affairs activities, contact Gordon Robertson, Vice President and Government Affairs Lead, 703.519.9691, x237, Mike Leonard, Ocean Resource Policy Director, x230, or Alyssa Hausman, Policy Fellow, x244.
House Bill Proposes Severe Budget Cuts for FY2011
An Agenda for Reconnecting Americans to the Great Outdoors
Addressing Annual Catch Limits
Gulf Council Considers Reallocation of Grouper and Red Snapper Fisheries
Seasonal Closure Proposed for Gulf Greater Amberjack
U.S. Forest Service Releases New Proposed Forest Planning Rule
EPA Plans to Study Threats to Bristol Bay Watershed
Public Comment on the President’s National Ocean Policy Requested
California’s Marine Life Protection Act Update
NOAA Launches Key BP Oil Disaster Scoping Process
New Legislation Threatens Fisheries Conservation in Florida
Striped Bass Conservation Suffers Defeat in Virginia
State Agencies Receive $365 Million in Sport Fish Restoration Funds
Senate Repeals 1099 Requirement in Healthcare Reform Bill
New Jersey Governor Signs Free Saltwater Registry Bill into Law
House Bill Proposes Severe Budget Cuts for FY2011
The House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 1, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011. This legislation, which funds the federal government for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, contains several riders and budget cuts that will severely impact the sportfishing industry, including a significant reduction in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) budget, the removal of funding for the Klamath Dam Removal and Sedimentation Study and a 28 percent cut in the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. ASA submitted extensive comments on H.R. 1 to House members prior to the vote and will work with Members of the Senate to minimize the negative impacts of this legislation on the sportfishing industry. Click here to view a copy of ASA’s letter.
An Agenda for Reconnecting Americans to the Great Outdoors
On February 17, the Obama administration released the final report launching the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative (AGO) which addresses resource conservation and outlines an agenda to reconnect Americans, especially children, to our nation’s outdoors. ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson and ASA member John L. Morris, founder of BassPro Shops, attended the White House announcement. ASA submitted extensive comments on the draft report, many of which are addressed in the final report including:
- Increased opportunity for anglers to participate in federal management decisions that could impact sportfishing in the U.S.
- Recognition of the importance of federal partnerships with state and local governments in the restoration and conservation of waterways, notably the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.
For more information, view ASA’s press release on AGO.
Addressing Annual Catch Limits
In February, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service hosted a three-day meeting for marine fisheries experts to discuss what information is needed to better manage marine fisheries, specifically as it applies to annual catch limits. Annual catch limits (ACLs) are being broadly applied in federal waters to manage fish populations where science is sorely lacking or non-existent. The problems are most acute in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, where complex ACL proposals are currently being developed for a multitude of important recreational fisheries, and which may result in overly severe limitations due to a dearth of science. ASA continues to advocate on behalf of the industry as the agency rushes to meet the strict requirements of the 2006 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) reauthorization which says that NOAA will end overfishing by 2011. ASA and its partners in the marine recreational fishing community also continue to pursue a legislative solution to help provide federal marine fisheries managers the time, resources and guidance to meet the statutory requirements of MSA.
Gulf Council Considers Reallocation of Grouper and Red Snapper Fisheries
During its February meeting, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council took the first step in addressing outdated allocations between commercial and recreational fishing for grouper and red snapper. The Council voted to initiate an amendment on grouper allocations and to review red snapper allocations and transferability options during its April meeting. Under current allocations, approximately 300 commercial boats take 51 percent of the total Gulf red snapper harvest every year, while hundreds of thousands of recreational anglers are left with the remaining 49 percent.
Seasonal Closure Proposed for Gulf Greater Amberjack
NOAA Marine Fisheries Service is proposing to close recreational fishing for greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico from June 1 - July 31. The closed season for Gulf greater amberjack overlaps with an open season for Gulf red snapper. By announcing this closure in advance, NOAA is to trying to allow recreational fishing for greater amberjack to occur in all other months of the year and avoid an abrupt in-season closure in 2011 if, or when, it determines the quota to be exceeded.
U.S. Forest Service Releases New Proposed Forest Planning Rule
In February, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released its new proposed Forest Planning Rule that addresses sustainable fishing and recreational opportunities on USFS land and recognizes the important role that outdoor recreation plays in the economy of rural America surrounding these forests. Over the past year, ASA and other members of the outdoor recreation community have met with the USFS to help ensure that recreational fishing and all outdoor recreational activities are well-represented in the final Planning Rule. To submit comments on the proposed rule, please visit the Planning Rule website.
EPA Plans to Study Threats to Bristol Bay Watershed
In February, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it plans to complete an assessment of the Bristol Bay (Alaska) watershed and the potential impacts of large-scale development projects, such as the proposed Pebble Mine, on the bay’s water quality and salmon fishery, even as mine developers are applying for federal and state mining permits. In 2010, tribal governments, fishing groups and several other organizations petitioned the agency to assess potential risks to the watershed. ASA, in partnership with over 360 sportsmen’s groups, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson urging the agency to protect the bay’s ecosystem and the $60 million sportfishing industry. The Pebble Mine is a proposed 20-square mile mining complex which has the potential to create pollutants that would affect waterways and devastate the region’s sportfishing. To learn more about this threat to Bristol Bay’s sportfishing industry, please visit www.KeepAmericaFishing.org.
NOC Seeking Public Comment on the President’s National Ocean Policy
The National Ocean Council (NOC) is gathering public comment on the administration’s new plan to manage our oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes.Comments may be submitted through the National Ocean Council website. ASA is continuing dialogues with the NOC staff and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality to ensure that the interests of the recreational fishing community are considered as the management plan moves forward.
California’s Marine Life Protection Act Update
In January, member organizations of the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans (PSO) filed a lawsuit seeking to set aside Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) regulations in the North Central and South Coast regions. On February 17, the California Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture held a hearing to focus on the South Coast phase of the MLPA Initiative. During the hearing, representatives from ASA and the PSO testified on the numerous concerns that the recreational fishing community has regarding MLPA implementation.
NOAA Launches Key BP Oil Disaster Scoping Process
NOAA, along with other federal and state agencies, has launched a key step in the ongoing Natural Resource Damage Assessment of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster by looking at the types of restoration that are needed to mitigate the potential impacts of the oil spill on habitat, fish, wildlife, and human use of those resources. ASA members are encouraged to provide comments on what types of projects are important to restore the affected resources after the spill. Comments can be submitted at a series of public meetings or online through NOAA’s Gulf Spill Restoration website.
New Legislation Threatens Fisheries Conservation in Florida
On February 1, Florida State Senator Joe Negron (R-Stuart) introduced a bill, S.B. 744, which would eliminate resident and non-resident fishing licenses.
This misguided legislation would seek to dismantle the "user-pay, user-benefit" fisheries management system which is unarguably the best fisheries management program in the world. Florida receives a substantial portion of its funding for fisheries management and conservation through a combination of state fishing license sales and the federal manufacturers excise tax on fishing tackle. Eliminating saltwater licenses would simply funnel anglers’ license fees to the federal government instead of the state, as federal law requires all anglers fishing in saltwater or for anadromous species to enroll in a federal registry program and pay a federal fee. ASA encourages Florida members to send a message to their state Senator and Senator Negron in opposition to S.B. 744 through www.KeepAmericaFishing.org.
Striped Bass Conservation Suffers Defeat in Virginia
In January, a legislative attempt to transfer marine fisheries management – specifically targeting menhaden - from the Virginia General Assembly to the state’s Marine Resources Commission was unsuccessful. Menhaden are at their lowest abundance in recorded history and may ultimately result in the collapse of some of the East Coast's most prized recreational fisheries, including striped bass. By transferring management from Virginia's General Assembly to the state's Marine Resource's Commission, this key species would have been in the hands of the science-based agency that already manages all other marine species in Virginia.
State Agencies Receive $365 Million in Sport Fish Restoration Funds
The Department of the Interior distributed nearly $365 million to state agencies for fisheries conservation and management and boating infrastructure and safety programs under the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund 2011 apportionment. Funding comes from excise taxes and import duties on sport fishing equipment, motorboat and small engine fuels, and pleasure boats. To learn more about the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, please visit www.KeepAmericaFishing.org.
Senate Repeals 1099 Requirement in Healthcare Reform Bill
In February, the Senate voted to repeal the 1099 revision in the 2010 Healthcare Reform Bill which requires all businesses to file a 1099 form with the IRS for any purchase of property and services costing over $600. There are currently two similar bills waiting to be voted upon by the House of Representatives. ASA joined on a letter with the National Association of Manufacturers in support of repealing the 1099 requirement. ASA members are also encouraged to write a letter to your House of Representatives members voicing support for repealing the 1099 requirement.
New Jersey Governor Signs Free Saltwater Registry Bill into Law
In February, New Jersey Gov. Christie signed a bill into law that requires the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to administer a free saltwater angler registry program in order to comply with a federal mandate for data collection on marine recreational fisheries. The law contains no funding mechanism for the estimated $600,000 annual cost of implementing the registry, though anglers have been assured that it will notbe funded with fish and wildlife program money.
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