Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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By Mike Leonard, Vice President of Government Affairs As you’ve hopefully heard by now, the Modern Fish Act recently passed both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and was signed into law by the President. Although first introduced in April 2017, the origins of this bill to improve federal saltwater fisheries management go back much further than that. Most of the bill’s provisions were inspired by the Morris-Deal Commission Report, released in 2014. Many of the proposed imp... Full story
Alexandria, VA – October 16, 2018 – The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) appointed a new Executive Committee as well as ex-officio members to the board of directors during the 2018 Sportfishing Summit, the recreational fishing industry's annual business meeting held October 9-12, just outside Charleston, S.C. This annual fall business meeting brought together more than 200 fishing and boating industry and community leaders to provide a venue to discuss the issues impacting rec... Full story
New Report Highlights Recreational Fishing’s Broad Economic and Conservation Impact Alexandria, VA – September 4, 2018 – For millions of Americans, recreational fishing is more than just a pleasant getaway; it’s a way of life. As an industry, it provides a living for countless other people in businesses ranging from fishing tackle and boating manufacturing to travel and hospitality to publications, magazines and much more. Based on numbers in the new 2018 Sportfishing in America: An Economic For... Full story
Alexandria, VA – September 4, 2018 – The California legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill to end commercial drift gillnet fishing and sent it to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk for his signature. Senate Bill (SB) 1017 phases out the use of mile-long nets that drift in the open ocean, compensates drift gillnet fishermen and encourages a transition to innovative new swordfishing gear. Wild Oceans, the International Game Fish Association, Coastal Conservation Association of Calif... Full story
Policy Veteran Will Focus On State And Federal Policies That Affect Freshwater Fisheries Alexandria, Va. – August 22, 2018 – The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is pleased to announce that Clay Crabtree, most recently a Legislative Analyst with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has joined the ASA staff as Policy Director. Crabtree’s tenure began on Monday, August 20, 2018. He will be based in ASA’s Alexandria, Va. offices. “As ASA’s membership grows and diversifies... Full story
Alexandria, VA – July 11, 2018 – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 200, a bipartisan bill that includes the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017 (Modern Fish Act). This historic vote marks the first time the priorities of the recreational fishing sector are included in the reauthorization of our nation’s primary marine fisheries law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The provisions of the Modern Fish Act (H.R. 2023) were inclu... Full story
Alexandria, VA – May 1, 2018 – Leading recreational fishing organizations applauded Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) for introducing S. 2773, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act, to phase out the use of mile-long drift gillnets in the eastern Pacific by 2020 and bring California swordfish fishing in-line with all other U.S. and international swordfish fisheries. “This bill changes the tide from indiscriminate indus... Full story
Alexandria, VA – February 28, 2018 – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation overwhelmingly approved S. 1520, the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017 (Modern Fish Act). This legislation calls for critically important updates to the oversight of federal fisheries, including adding more tools to the management toolbox, improving data collection techniques, and examining some fishery allocations that are based on decades-old decisions. The... Full story
WASHINGTON, DC, June 26, 2017 – America’s Great Outdoors is vital to the quality of life for most Americans and key to the nation’s $887 billion per year outdoor recreation industry. The federal government manages nearly one-third of the nation’s surface area, making it integral to the health of an industry that supports some 7.6 million jobs. The Outdoor Recreation Industry Roundtable (ORIR) urges support for federal outdoor recreation programs in the FY2018 budget now being crafted by the Con... Full story
Washington, D.C. – June 28, 2017 – Today, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the 2017 Regional Fishery Management Council (RFMC) appointments and has shown that recreational fishing and boating are important to the Trump Administration. The appointments of Steve Heins of New York to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Chester Brewer of Florida to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; and Phil Dyskow of Florida, Dr. Bob Shipp of Alabama, and Dr. Greg Stunz of Texas to the... Full story
A controversial two-year pilot program could lead to a private recreational limited access program for red snapper. Alexandria, VA – May 26, 2017 – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recently announced a controversial two-year pilot program for Gulf of Mexico red snapper management. Expected to begin in 2018, the program will allow 150 randomly-selected offshore anglers in the state access to 25,000 pounds of Gulf of Mexico red snapper. These anglers must agree to take part in... Full story
Alexandria, VA - April 25, 2017 - Senior recreation industry corporate and trade association officials met with Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday, April 24, capping a full and encouraging day of discussions with administration officials. The meetings were organized by the Outdoor Recreation Industry Roundtable (ORIR) and began in Shenandoah National Park. Twelve hours later, the day’s discussions concluded in Zinke’s offices in downtown Washington, D.C. The eve... Full story
Washington, D.C. - April 18, 2016 A coalition of recreational fishing and boating organizations praised the introduction of a bill, S.2807, that will safeguard the role of state fisheries management agencies and help prevent unwarranted fishing closures like what recently occurred at Biscayne National Park. Led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the " http://act.keepameric... Full story
Washington, D.C. - April 20, 2016 Tonight, recreational and commercial fishing representatives, Members of Congress, and key former and current individuals from the administration gathered on Capitol Hill in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), a first-of-its-kind piece of legislation that established a framework to manage domestic, federal saltwater fisheries. "We take many things for granted now that were not the case 40... Full story
Alexandria, VA – December 15 – 2015 - Over the course of 2015, numerous legislative, public policy and advocacy activities occurred that will have a lasting impact on recreational fishing's future. The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) today recounted seven of the top recreational fishing advocacy accomplishments of 2015. "I'm extremely proud of ASA's efforts to promote fisheries conservation and access to help ensure a strong future for our industry," said ASA President and CEO Mike Nus... Full story
Alexandria, VA – November 4, 2015 – For the third year in a row, the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, better known as ICAST, has been recognized by the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) as one of the fastest growing trades shows in the U.S. by square footage. Produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), ICAST is the world’s largest sportfishing trade show, hosting more than 12,000 representatives from the global sportfishing community. TSNN placed ICAST on its Top... Full story
Alexandria, VA – November 5, 2015 - Not many activities offer as many opportunities for tranquil relaxation or exhilarating surges of adrenaline, but both types of experiences have about equal appeal when it comes to fishing. This, and other motivational factors, are illuminated in the third report in a series examining sportfishing “churn,” a term that refers to anglers’ transitioning in and out of the sport from year to year. Produced for the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) by Southwi... Full story
Alexandria, VA – November 19, 2015 – The sportfishing industry applauds the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for advancing a major portion of the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015 during today’s committee markup hearing. Originally sponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015 contains provisions that will benefit our natio... Full story
Alexandria, VA – August 17, 2015 – The FishAmerica Foundation has awarded $10,000 to the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund (SSFFF), a non-profit organization whose mission is to safeguard and improve fishing access to summer flounder. The foundation's grant will be leveraged with $50,000 in additional matching funds from other organizations and agencies. The grant will be used to advance research in sex-specific fishing mortality of summer flounder. This research will result in the dev... Full story
Washington, D.C. – July 30, 2015 – On the heels of the recent announcement to close over 10,000 acres of Biscayne National Park to fishing, a coalition of recreational fishing and boating organizations praised the introduction of a bipartisan bill, H.R. 3310, that will help stop this and similar unwarranted fishing closures from occurring. Led by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), and 28 other original sponsors, the “Preserving Public Acces... Full story
Alexandria, VA – August 3, 2015 – A joint Congressional hearing delved into concerns raised by members of the recreational fishing community, as well as other stakeholders, about the National Park Service's recent decision to close over 10,000 acres of Biscayne National Park to recreational fishing. The hearing entitled, "Restricted Access at Biscayne National Park and Implications for Fishermen, Small Businesses, the Local Economy and Environment" was held in Homestead, Fla., by the U.S. Hou... Full story
Alexandria, VA – July 8, 2015 - Six members of the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) were elected or re-elected to fill three regional seats and three at-large seats on the board of directors. Their terms begin October 1, 2015, and they will serve two-year terms. ASA’s board members may serve three, consecutive two-year terms. Regional seats went to: South Central Region – Jeff Pontius, president, ZEBCO Brands, Tulsa, Oklahoma (reelected) Southeast Region – Aledia Hunt Tush, preside... Full story
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 16, 2015 – Leaders in the recreational fishing community today lauded new bipartisan legislation by U.S. Representatives Garret Graves (R-La.) and Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) that the president of the Center for Coastal Conservation predicted “will better conserve Gulf red snapper and finally give recreational anglers reasonable access to red snapper fishing.” “For too long, the federal government has relied on outdated and inaccurate information to unfairly limit recreatio... Full story
Washington, D.C. - June 2, 2015 – A coalition of organizations representing the saltwater recreational fishing and boating community congratulated the U.S. House of Representatives on its passage of H.R. 1335, a bill to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary statute governing the nation’s marine fisheries. “The House action recognizes the increasing popularity of saltwater recreational fishing, which contributes $70 billion annually to the natio... Full story
Alexandria, VA – June 3, 2015 - The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is pleased to announce that Gary Jennings, a life-long, avid angler and boater, has joined the ASA staff as the Manager of the Keep Florida Fishing initiative. Jennings brings close to 20 years of experience in the fishing and boating industries to this new position. His tenure began on June 1, 2015. Gary Jennings Keep Florida Fishing Manager The list of initiatives to ban or severely restrict recreational fishing and b... Full story
