Tell ASMFC to Reject Unnecessary Striped Bass Season Closures – Last Week to Comment
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has proposed a 12% reduction for the recreational sector for Atlantic striped bass in 2026. The proposed reduction is based on imprecise data and will have detrimental impacts on small businesses, coastal communities and the sportfishing industry.
The choice is clear – ASMFC must reject these unnecessary closures and maintain status quo. Click the link below to make your voice heard. Comments are due no later than October 3!
NMFS Reopens Access to Groundfishing in California
On September 18, the National Marine Fisheries Service implemented fishing regulations off the coast of California that restored access to fishing depths in federal waters that had been closed due to inaccurate quillback rockfish assessments.
ASA thanks Dr. Maunder with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and Dr. Hilborn from the University of Washington for highlighting the limitations of the 2021 NOAA Quillback Rockfish Stock Assessment, which estimated California quillback rockfish at just 14% of unfished biomass and led NMFS to declare the species “overfished.” The updated assessment shows that California quillback were never overfished, underscoring the importance of investing in robust data collection to better inform state and federal fisheries managers and reduce unnecessary impacts on the fishing industry.
Click the link below to read the full release from the CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.
ASA Joins Fishing and Hunting Community in Supporting MAPLands and EXPLORE Act Implementation
Last week, ASA joined 31 fishing and hunting organizations, including TRCP and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, on a letter to the Secretary of the Interior supporting implementation of the MAPLands and EXPLORE Acts. Both laws expand recreational access to public lands and waters by deploying technological solutions to benefit natural resources and their users.
Click below to read the full letter.
ASA Summit Heads to Key West Next Week
Leaders from across the sportfishing industry will head to Key West next week for the 2025 Sportfishing Summit powered by the American Sportfishing Association. The Summit has been the premier gathering of the sportfishing industry, and this year’s event is no different. In addition to the business meetings of ASA, we’ll also hear presentations from Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, Don Unser, President of Thought Leadership at Circana, and Ron Sorini, Co-Founder and Principal at Sorini, Samet & Associates.
We can’t wait to see so many of you next week. Click below to learn more about the Sportfishing Summit.
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.
