Public Land Sale Provisions Removed from House Reconciliation Bill
The sportfishing industry applauds Congressional leaders for removing harmful provisions from the budget reconciliation bill that would have required the sale of public lands in New Mexico and Utah. The effort was spearheaded by Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), who recently launched the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus.
“Our public lands are ‘America’s best idea’ and should not be sold off via an 11th hour amendment that lacks transparency, public process and will result in lost recreational access,” said Mike Leonard, VP of Government Affairs for ASA.
ASA and dozens of other fish and wildlife groups sent a letter to House leaders urging them to remove this language from the bill. Click below to read the full letter.
US Fish & Wildlife Service Announces New Hunting and Fishing Opportunities
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced expanded hunting and fishing opportunities at National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries. The American Sportfishing Association applauds this action, which demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to enhancing access to outdoor recreation on public lands. We are especially pleased that the Service did not include any unwarranted bans on lead fishing tackle in this announcement and appreciate its commitment to working closely with state fish and wildlife agencies, which are best positioned to make science-based decisions on fisheries management and tackle use.
Celebrating 75 Years of the Sport Fish Restoration Act
For 75 years, the Sport Fish Restoration Act has delivered public access to America’s waterways, extraordinary angling opportunities, boating safety, fish habitat management, fish population management and research, and clean water. These funds, derived from federal excise taxes paid for by manufacturers and importers of fishing equipment and electric outboard motors as well as a portion of the Federal fuel tax attributable to motorboat and small engine fuel usage, are distributed to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies for sport fish conservation/management, public boating and fishing access, and aquatic education.
Click the link below to check out the latest video on the Sport Fish Restoration Act.
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.
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