House of Representatives Passes Priority Sportfishing Bills
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two bipartisan bills that will deliver positive results for the sportfishing industry and recreational fishing community. The SHARKED Act (H.R. 207) and the MAPWaters Act (H.R. 187) cleared the chamber with overwhelming support.
“ASA is pleased to see the House take such decisive action on these solution-oriented bills that will have broad sweeping benefits for America’s 57.7 million anglers and the sportfishing industry, which contributes $230 billion to the U.S. economy,” said Mike Leonard, Vice President of Government Affairs at the American Sportfishing Association.
Click below to read more.
America First Trade Policy Memo Highlights Priorities for the Trump Administration
On January 20, 2025, the Trump Administration released a memorandum entitled – America First Trade Policy. The document outlines early trade priorities and orders several relevant agencies to review key areas and issue policy recommendations. These recommendations and reports are due to the President April 1, 2025, when more concrete actions will be announced.
ASA’s international trade firm, Sorini, Samet & Associates, prepared a policy memo with detailed information on what to expect from the White House and how it might impact your business. Sorini, Samet & Associates also joined ASA for a webinar on international trade last December.
Webinar Recording – The Business Case for Sustainability
Earlier this month, ASA hosted industry leaders for a roundtable discussion on the business case for sustainability. Moderated by Rick Crawford, President of Emerger Strategies, this webinar explored how integrating sustainability into business operations protects the environment and boosts profitability. We appreciate Chelsea Willingham (AFTCO), Lisa VanBladeren (YETI) and Daniel Nussbaum (Z-Man Fishing Products) for joining the discussion and sharing their expertise. This is the final webinar of our Sustainability Toolkit series.
Click below to watch the recording.
ASA Joins Coalition in Support of Fix Our Forests Act
The bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471), introduced by Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman, Bruce Westerman (R-AR), establishes requirements for managing forests on federal land. Healthy forests are essential to supporting clean water and sustainable fish and wildlife populations. However, decades of wildfire suppression coupled with a passive, often hands off approach to management has created dense, overgrown forests that impair habitat function, compromise water availability and quality, and elevate the risk of uncharacteristically catastrophic wildfire.
ASA joined a coalition of outdoor recreation and industry partners in support of the Fix Our Forests Act. It passed the House of Representatives last week by an overwhelming 279-141 margin.
Click the link below to read our support letter.
About
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.
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