NOAA Accepting Public Comments on Proposed Bottomfishing Closure Through March 17
This coming Wednesday and Thursday, NOAA Fisheries will host the first two of five in-person meetings to hear public comment on Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic. The Amendment proposes a 3-month closure for all recreational hook-and-line fishing off northeast Florida from December 1st through the end of February each year for 55 species of reef fish, including snappers, jacks, and groupers.
Stakeholders can submit public comment by attending one of the in-person meetings or online through the federal register portal. ASA has provided a list of talking points to help you draft your comment. We’ve also created an Amendment 59 one-pager with information on how this Amendment will impact the sportfishing industry and recreational angling community.
Click the link below to learn more and make your voice heard.
ASA Applauds Confirmation of Burgum as Interior Secretary
ASA joins members of the outdoor recreation community in congratulating Governor Doug Burgum on his Senate confirmation to President Trump’s cabinet. We look forward to working with him to advance the needs of our industry and the outdoor recreation community.
Following his 79-18 confirmation in the Senate, former Governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum, will take over as Interior Secretary. In this role, he will oversee management of America’s public lands and waters.
ASA is also supporting the appointments of Howard Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce and Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture, and we encourage the Senate to work in a bipartisan manner to advance their nominations.
Click below to read our coalition sign on letter supporting Gov. Burgum’s nomination.
ASA Joins Army Corps of Engineers at Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project
Last week, ASA’s Southeast Fisheries Policy Director, Martha Guyas, joined USACE at the completed Deering Estate restoration project. Wetlands restoration projects like Deering estate improve water quality and delivery of freshwater flowing into Biscayne Bay, reducing hyper-saline conditions in the estuary and benefiting fisheries in the Bay.
USACE released this handout to attendees at the event.
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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