Fishing and Boating Industries Head to Capitol Hill to Discuss Red Snapper
Last week, recreational fishing and boating leaders from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina were in Washington, D.C., for a South Atlantic red snapper fly-in hosted by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), Center for Sportfishing Policy (CSP), Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).
Participants met with Congressional offices from across the South Atlantic region to discuss the urgent need to secure a meaningful 2026 Atlantic red snapper season and advance longer-term reforms that improve recreational data collection and provide more reasonable access for anglers and fishing-dependent businesses.
The fly-in followed the last-minute disruption of state Exempted Fishing Permits (EFP) that were designed to test improved state-led data collection and management approaches for South Atlantic red snapper under a longer recreational season.
Click the link below to read the full recap.
Show Your Support for the America the Beautiful Act – Sign on Today!
Calling all sportfishing and boating businesses – Join ASA and fellow outdoor recreation businesses and organizations in urging Congress to pass the bipartisan America the Beautiful Act before the Fourth of July.
Click here to read the sign-on letter.
This is a bipartisan investment in America’s public lands and waters. The letter emphasizes that outdoor recreation generates $1.3 trillion in economic impact and supports 5.2 million jobs, many of which depend on well-maintained and accessible federal lands and waters. The letter reinforces that reauthorizing and strengthening the Legacy Restoration Fund will reduce maintenance backlogs, support rural communities, benefit public health, and help preserve America’s outdoor heritage.
Click the link below to add your company and show your support for this historic investment in outdoor recreation.
Study Shows Menhaden as Angler Bait Fuels $1.5B in Economic Output
A new study conducted by Southwick Associates provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of how recreational anglers use Atlantic menhaden and the value they place on access to this critical resource.
The study estimates that recreational Atlantic fishing trips involving menhaden generated approximately $804 million in angler spending and supported more than 7,200 jobs nationwide in 2025. But the economic effects of angler spending extended well beyond direct purchases.
Click the link below to read more from TRCP’s blog.
About The American Sportfishing Association
The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association committed to representing the interests of the sportfishing and boating industries as well as the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry and anglers a unified voice when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring economic, conservation and social values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America’s 55 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways through Keep America Fishing, our national angler advocacy campaign. America’s anglers generate nearly $50 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for 800,000 people.
Discover more from Fishing Tackle Retailer - The Business Magazine of the Sportfishing Industry
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
