Press Releases
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has issued corrections to the recently published 2009-2010 Fishing In Washington Sportfishing Rules Pamphlet.
Collegiate anglers participating in the 2009 BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship were presented the opportunity to submit entries for the Berkley Conservation Institute Collegiate Angler Of-The-Year awards.
ASA continues to work with Congress and the Administration to ensure that economic relief efforts in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster include recreational fishing-dependent businesses and are as efficient and effective as possible.
MOREHEAD CITY – North Carolina will close all coastal waters to commercial and recreational spotted seatrout harvest for an indefinite period beginning at noon Friday.
Concerned about potential pillaging of speckled trout, redfish and other coastal game fish crowded into harbors, channels and other deep-water sanctuaries to escape frigid temperatures, Texas state fisheries officials extended until noon, Monday, a closure of some areas along the coast to all fishing.
SACRAMENTO -- After losing the battle to keep prime fishing waters open during California State Fish and Game Commission meetings, the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans (PSO) -- a group representing California recreational anglers and boaters -- filed a lawsuit Jan. 27 to invalidate newly approved South Coast Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
Sioux Falls, SD – Hunting and angling interests around the country have mobilized in recent years to protect the waters and lands of southwest Alaska’s famed Bristol Bay region. These groups are applauding today’s announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the agency is planning an assessment of the Bristol Bay watershed to better understand how future large-scale development projects may affect water quality and Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery. EPA initiated this assessment in response to concerns from federally-recognized tribes and others who petitioned the agency in 2010 to assess any potential risks to the watershed.
Columbia, SC — Pure Fishing, Inc., a leading global provider of fishing tackle and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jarden Corporation, today announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of the Sebile fishing lure business from Sebile International SA and its subsidiaries, a global supplier of fresh and saltwater fishing lures marketed under the Sebile® brand name.
February 10, 2011 - Two staggering fish kills by commercial trawlers fishing out of Oregon Inlet are just the tip of the iceberg as the state of North Carolina continues to promote fishing practices for Atlantic striped bass that are not only wasteful but filled with loopholes that encourage unreported landings.
GULFPORT, MS – The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has taken a long-awaited first step toward addressing outdated allocations between the commercial and recreational sectors in the grouper and red snapper fisheries. During its meeting this week in Gulfport, the Council voted to begin an amendment on grouper allocations, and to review red snapper allocations and transferability options at its next meeting in April.
PINE KNOLLS SHORES, NC – In response to a rash of massive striped bass kills along the coast, CCA North Carolina will request the NC Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) to eliminate trawling of any kind as a permissible fishing gear for striped bass. The incidents, photographed and videotaped by recreational anglers in the area, were the result of commercial trawling operations in state waters and have prompted outrage up and down the East Coast. CCA North Carolina will request decisive action at the MFC meeting in Pine Knolls, Feb. 10-11.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (February 15, 2011) – This week, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) will officially unveil the Take Me Fishing™ campaign’s brand new, fully integrated mobile website at the Miami International Boat Show being held February 17 – 20, 2011 in Miami, Fl. and at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo being held February 18 – 20, 2011 in New Orleans, La.
1/5/11 On January 4th, President Obama signed the Shark Conservation Act into law, significantly strengthening shark conservation both nationally and internationally. The Act, which was first introduced in the House by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU) and later in the Senate by Senator John Kerry (D-MA), passed both Houses of Congress on December 21st during the lame duck session.
February 16, 2011 - This week, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) activists are visiting the offices of federal legislators claiming erroneously to represent the interests of U.S. fishing communities while selling their plan to privatize our nation's public resources in the name of conservation. According its sources, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) said EDF campaigners have been arriving in DC by plane the last few days to promote their 'Catch Share' manifesto with Members of Congress in an effort to limit overall public access to coastal fisheries.
February 16, 2011 - Earlier today, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) issued a press release blasting Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) activists for erroneously claiming to represent U.S. fishing interests today on Capitol Hill. RFA has since learned that members of the EDF delegation have been shameless in their anti-fishing rhetoric with legislators, putting out false information to members of Congress in hoping to sell their Catch Share manifesto.
1/12/2011 - NOAA today submitted a report to Congress identifying six nations – Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, Panama, Portugal, and Venezuela – whose fishing vessels engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in 2009 and/or 2010. This opens the way for continued consultations between the U.S. government and each of the nations to encourage them to take action to stop IUU fishing by their vessels.
Legislation recently signed by President Obama has paved the way for NOAA to move ahead to increase the Georges Bank yellowtail flounder quota for U.S. commercial fishermen in 2011. The quota will be increased to 2.5 million pounds, an 18 percent increase over 2010 levels and a 44 percent increase over the quota that fishermen originally expected to receive for the 2011 fishing year.
Sportfishing community supports the Administrations’ efforts to conserve, restore and provide better access to our nation’s open spaces for Americans of all ages
Bluefin Quotas Go Down Slightly; Marlin and Swordfish Agreements Extended; Sharks and Turtles Get New Protections
Tell NMFS Its “Weak Hook” Rule Isn’t Enough
Anglers frustrated with unrealistic implementation of Magnuson-Stevens Act
NOAA will survey recreational fishermen to estimate their annual fishing expenses
RFA-NJ Says Coastal Anglers Will Fish Free in Garden State Waters in 2011
Following spill, Resource Trustees seeking multiple rounds of public input
2/24/11 - A united coalition of fishing, hunting and sporting organizations from nearly every U.S. state joined together to ask the federal Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska from the dangers of the proposed Pebble Mine.
Sector Allocations, Gag Grouper, Goliath Grouper, Amberjack
The last time recreational anglers or commercial fishermen could legally harvest a Goliath grouper, the species was still called a jewfish.
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was, in effect, a huge experiment and scientists want to know what that oil may do to the plants and animals that live in the Gulf — from sea grasses to turtles to giant bluefin tuna.
With the New Year comes new challenges to fish in our world’s oceans and one of the major concerns is the expansion of hypoxic zones. That’s the scientific name but more recreational anglers are becoming aware of them as “dead zones.”
Brown Tide Culprit Uniquely Suited to Thrive in Environmentally Impacted Estuaries
RFA Says Magnuson Reform Is Best Answer to National Anti-Fishing Agenda
February 28, 2011 - NOAA today proposed new measures for the 2011 groundfishing year that give fishermen greater opportunity to fish in Northeast waters, assist small vessel owners, and continue important stock rebuilding.
NOAA Avoids Scrutiny of RFA Legal Challenge Through Slow Judicial Process
Tags attached to sea lions and other marine life will help scientists better understand how animals move with the flow of tides and currents and how those patterns may be affected by climate change.
3/8/11 - A Fresno fisherman reeled in a verified record-breaker bass yesterday at Santa Margarita Lake.
RFA Says Today's Hearing Shows Fishermen Have Much Work Ahead For Reform
March 8, 2011 - At a hearing today in front of the Senate Commerce Committee on the Magnuson-Stevens Act, Assistant NOAA Administrator for Fisheries Eric Schwaab said that the U.S. is making good progress toward meeting the mandate to end domestic overfishing.
Florida's top fishery managers agree: Bonefish are too valuable to kill.
Council Votes To Terminate Work on Amendment 21 Catch Share Development
March 10, 2011 - During a special airborne mission to study the air-quality impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill last June, NOAA researchers discovered an important new mechanism by which air pollution particles form. Although predicted four years ago, this discovery now confirms the importance of this pollution mechanism and could change the way urban air quality is understood and predicted.
Anglers applaud decision to terminate catch share development in Amendment 21
A new emergency increase to the butterfish fishing limit will enable squid fishermen off the northeast, who often catch butterfish unintentionally while fishing for squid, to continue working, while still protecting the butterfish stock.
NOAA’s Fisheries Service today announced it is implementing the regulatory recommendations of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) due to concerns over declining halibut stocks. These regulations include limiting the maximum size of a halibut caught by charter anglers in southeastern Alaska to 37 inches, and retaining the one-fish-per-person-per-day rule that began in 2009.
New RFA-FL Leadership Ups Ante In Effort To Protect Red Snapper Fishery
NOAA's Fisheries Service today announced that it will propose increasing the spiny dogfish quota to 20 million pounds for 2011. The new quota would be a 33 percent increase over the 2010 catch limit of 15 million pounds.
Saltwater License Repeal Effort Goes Into Weekend Overdrive
3/18/2011 - An 805-pound catch has set a new North Carolina state record for bluefin tuna.
Little by little more countries are realizing the many advantages and economic returns of sportfishing tourism for their countries.
Below is an “opinion/letter to the editor” by two of Panama’s high ranking ministers regarding an upcoming socio-economic study on sportfishing tourism in the Central American nation. It was written by Dr. Ruben Berrocal, Panama's National Secretary of SENACYT (science, technology and innovation), and Salomon Shamah, the Minister of Tourism.
Oceanographers said that billfish have preferred habitats, and if you can understand them scientifically, then you catch more.
2011 Tournament Organizers Encouraged To Support America's "Right to Fish"
A 53-inch catfish caught at the confluence of the Dan and Roanoke rivers in Virginia might be 7 pounds heavier than the previous blue cat that held the Virginia record.
User Fee Will Be Gone in 180 Days - Replaced By Free Registry
Removing Fixed Gear From Artificial Reefs Is Part Of Larger Problem
Sampling in last closed area also underway...
Field biologists from the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) are reporting the largest number of coho returning to spawn in Sonoma County tributaries of the Russian River in more than a decade.
(Reuters) - The U.S. government is keeping a tight lid on its probe into scores of unexplained dolphin deaths along the Gulf Coast, possibly connected to last year's BP oil spill, causing tension with some independent marine scientists.
ASMFC Takes First Steps to Rebuild Menhaden Forage Base
4,000 Concrete Culverts Set to Go in Near Shore Waters This Summer
New commercial hook requirement designed to reduce the incidental catch of Atlantic bluefin tuna.
Joey Sostheim and Jake Matney, both of Panama City, Fla., weighed in a two-redfish limit that totaled 13.90 pounds to win the IFA Redfish Tour event in Destin, Fla., on March 26.
Something is fishy in the seafood menus of many Florida restaurants, a wave of false labeling charges suggests.
Question Answered As New Budget Immediately Repeals Saltwater Fishing Fee
Scientists are tagging female lemon sharks off Jupiter, Florida to solve the mystery of where they mate and give birth.
Some orcas are making the news in North Carolina because they’re interfering with sport fishermen who are fishing for giant bluefin tuna off Cape Hatteras.
Kelly Baggett, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Aron Baggett, of Portland, Texas, weighed in a two-redfish limit that totaled 17.18 pounds to win the IFA Redfish Tour event in Port Aransas, Texas, on April 2.
They're back. Gulf sturgeon are beginning their annual migration back into the Suwannee River this month.
Anglers are demanding a backdown on plans for no-take zones - or they will hold more public protests.
Petition to list the fish contained substantial scientific information that warrants federal review.
South Atlantic & Gulf Councils Taking Public Comment on Cobia and Mackerel
Adoption of catch limits, accountability measures intended to rebuild fish populations and sustain fisheries
RFA Says Bill Could Get President's Signature By Friday Night
Endangered whales to be given wider berth
"This project restores fish and wildlife habitat lost in the 1950s..."
...state lawmakers failed to take appropriate action to protect the reefs....
The proposed draft rules would create separate management strategies for permit, Florida pompano, and African pompano.
More opportunity to fish in Northeast waters...
BP has agreed to provide $1 billion toward early restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico
More than 1,000 square miles opened on 4/19/2011
April 22, 2011 - Orange Beach, AL
The 10 “Waters to Watch” are representative of freshwater to marine habitats across the country
More than 40 species of marine fish face dying out in the sea between Europe and North Africa
Eric Schwaab, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries, joined officials from the town of Brewster, Mass., and other partners today on the shores of Cape Cod’s Stony Brook to celebrate the completion of a American Reinvestment and Recovery Act project that restored natural tidal flow to 20 acres of salt marsh and opened passage for fish to nearly 400 acres of ponds for spawning.
Today, we are releasing phase one of an independent assessment of the fishery management system in New England
Campaign To Educate Corporate Giant On Anti-Fishing "Greenwashing", Recreational fishermen are being urged to Stay Away From Safeway!
The New Jersey chapter of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA-NJ) today sent a letter to Governor Chris Christie, copying the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Bob Martin, urging immediate action to ensure that the 2011 summer flounder (fluke) season gets underway as scheduled on May 7th.
NOAA today proposed raising the catch limit for Atlantic sea scallop vessels from the current level of 47 million pounds to 51 million pounds in 2011 and to 55 million pounds in 2012.
The long history of upside-down federal management of Gulf red snapper continued this week with NOAA Fisheries announcing more good news about the health of the fishery contrasted against the shortest recreational season on record: just 48 days. Coastal Conservation Association has warned that such absurd measures are inevitable until the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council conducts a reallocation of the fishery based on modern criteria.
RALEIGH, NC - North Carolina has the opportunity to increase the economic impact of fishery management to the entire state with a single bill – H.B. 353, a bill to make striped bass, red drum and speckled trout gamefish.
According to the European Commission, 72% of EU fish stocks are now overfished and 59% are at a high risk of depletion. The European Commission has recently adopted draft rules on how to carry out controls to eliminate illegal fishing in the European Union. These rules implement the Control Regulation, Council Regulation 1224/2009, which established a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy.
The season for an ancient and spectacular tuna-fishing technique has begun off Spain's southwest coast, and fishermen fear it could soon disappear if fleets of factory ships elsewhere keep overfishing prized Atlantic bluefin tuna.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that New Jersey's new free web-based saltwater fishing registry will go live this Wednesday, May 4. According to the DEP's official release, the registry will allow the state to comply with a federal mandate to collect angler names and contacts for improving data collection at the federal level.
Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and Mote Marine Laboratory ask anglers to gather valuable information for the Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study. Participating anglers collect DNA samples from any tarpon of any size. These samples help biologists gain insight into tarpon movement and distribution.
The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced that the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) will participate in its State Fishing License Marketing Program aimed at increasing fishing license sales nationwide. More than 30 states currently participate in the initiative, which was developed by RBFF to increase participation in the sport and generate awareness of the connection between fishing license sales and conservation efforts.
More than a century ago, in response to overwhelming evidence that overharvesting for canneries was seriously endangering fish populations, well-intentioned people began working hard to save salmon. But rescue missions have backfired.
Members of the Federal Subsistence Board are recommending that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council lower by thousands the number of salmon caught incidentally in Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea pollock fisheries.
Canada's top wildlife advisers say the Atlantic bluefin tuna, which has been known to fetch $1,000 per kilogram on sushi markets, is so overfished it should be listed as an endangered species.
Under a new fisheries management program effective since last May, revenues increased for the Northeast groundfishery during the first nine months of the 2010 fishing year compared to same period in 2009.
The South Carolina Legislature is sending the U.S. Congress a message from the entire state about what saltwater recreational fishermen and countless businesses desperately need; a resolution urging Congress to adopt S. 632, the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act, has been introduced in the South Carolina statehouse by Representative Kevin Ryan of Georgetown, SC.
NOAA’s Fisheries Service said today it was authorizing the states of Washington and Oregon to lethally remove specific California sea lions that congregate 140 miles from the Pacific Ocean just below the Columbia River’s Bonneville Dam to eat thousands of adult salmon and steelhead swimming upriver to spawn. Some of the salmon and steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered.
BHP, Telstra and P&O should be equally concerned about proposed tough new marine restrictions as those in the fishing industries , Queensland's peak marine body, Marine Queensland has warned.
Effective Wednesday, two areas comprising 3,013 square miles are designated critical habitat for Cook Inlet beluga whales.
The National Marine Fisheries Service announced today it was considering ending all dockside monitoring and using the money to help offset the operating costs for sectors, the fishing cooperatives into which nearly all New England groundfishing boats have organized under the catch share management system.
NOAA’s Fisheries Service today proposed designating a population of hatchery-raised steelhead salmon in Oregon’s Deschutes River as “experimental,” which would provide legal protection to anyone who harmed the fish while otherwise acting lawfully.
John Weaver, of Driftwood, Texas, and John Weaver Jr., of San Marcos, Texas, weighed in a two-redfish limit that totaled 17.14 pounds to win the IFA Redfish Tour event at Rockport, Texas, on May 14. To win the event, which operated out of Cove Harbor North, the team topped a large field of two-angler teams to take home a new, fully rigged Ranger Banshee Extreme powered by a 60-horsepower, four-stroke Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Power-Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Blue Point Fabrication metal work, Bob’s four-inch Ultra Light Jackplate, an OPTIMA battery and a Loadmaster trailer valued at $30,000.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has confirmed the presence of whirling disease in a delivery of 8,000 commercially produced rainbow trout stocked in several Western Maryland streams.
Department of Fish and Game (DFG) biologists are expecting a promising north coast salmon fishing season through Labor Day, September 5. The sport season opened Saturday in the Klamath Management Zone, which stretches from the Oregon border to Horse Mountain, located just north of Shelter Cove.
Dolphin are the target and anglers can compete for more than $40,000 in cash and prizes during the 18th annual Big Pine & Lower Keys Dolphin Tournament. Presented by the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce, the tournament is scheduled Friday through Sunday, June 10-12.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 24, 2011) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced that its Take Me Fishing campaign is once again teaming up with Outdoor Nation to engage youth in outdoor activities, including boating and fishing. The youth-led movement championing the outdoors recently announced its plans to host multiple three-day regional youth summits in New York City, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Denver and San Francisco. Taking place June 23 through July 31, youth delegates will come together to brainstorm project ideas that address regional issues and ultimately engage more young people in the outdoors by removing existing barriers to participation.
NOAA’s Fisheries Service today launched a voluntary program to encourage commercial and recreational fishermen to safely release Atlantic shortfin mako sharks alive and report the releases to NOAA for posting on an online map.
After an extensive scientific review, NOAA announced today that Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act.
NOAA today announced that, at the request of the New England Fishery Management Council and members of the scallop industry, it will not reopen the Nantucket Lightship Access Area to scallop fishing, as had been scheduled for June 15.
While the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) is continuing to pressure federal legislators to help fix a fatally flawed federal fisheries law, coastal fishermen in every state have been taking to message boards, club meetings and newspaper columns to blast away at fisheries managers for not listening to the angling community with regard to flawed science.
A drastic decline in striped bass stocks has state and federal officials scrambling to protect the fish, but many recreational fishermen say the government isn’t moving fast enough.
More than a hundred and fifty years ago, Atlantic Salmon lived in the Humber River and many other tributaries of Lake Ontario. Sadly, they were one of the first fish species to be extirpated from the lake. Today, more than 40 partners are working together through the Bring Back the Salmon program to restore a wild, self-sustaining population of Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario and its tributaries. Five years into this historic undertaking, the signs are good that the program is working.
Prior to the Memorial Day Weekend, NOAA announced that Atlantic bluefin tuna do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agency did say however they are committed to revisiting their decision by early 2013, when more information is available on the effects of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, as well as a new stock assessment from the scientific arm of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). NOAA is formally designating both the western Atlantic and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks of bluefin tuna as "species of concern" under ESA, which officially places the species on a watch list for concerns about its status and threats to the species.
The Commerce Department today announced the appointment of 21 new and returning members to the eight regional fishery management councils – important partners with NOAA’s Fisheries Service in determining how ocean fisheries are managed.
The Recreational Fishing Alliance's New Jersey chapter (RFA-NJ) today submitted official comments to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in response to the agency's new public access rules.
Researchers from NOAA have discovered a potent and highly-debilitating toxin in the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, a first-of-its-kind chemical finding that is now prompting investigations of other marine mammals in the state.
The Department of Commerce and NOAA today released national sustainable marine aquaculture policies to meet the growing demand for healthy seafood, to create jobs in coastal communities, and restore vital ecosystems. Foreign aquaculture accounts for about half of the 84 percent of seafood imported by the U.S., contributing to the $9 billion trade deficit in seafood.
Sacramento, CA – June 6, 2011 – A San Diego Superior Court judge has ordered that the Natural Resources Defense Council and Ocean Conservancy have no legal right to intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to preserve ocean sportfishing in California.
The Bristol Bay watershed is threatened by the proposed construction of a 20-square mile mining complex which has the potential to create pollutants that would affect waterways and devastate the region's sportfishing.
Competing uses for water in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed are putting the great salmon runs of California’s Central Valley in danger of disappearing. Two of the four seasonal salmon runs are already listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Water diversion for agricultural irrigation and other purposes is more than the Delta can sustain and it is having a devastating impact on recreational salmon fishing and businesses that depend on that fishery. As a result, the region’s salmon fishing seasons were completely shut down in 2008 and 2009. Though open, the 2010 salmon fishing season was severely curtailed. Without major changes in Delta and upriver water management, California’s Central Valley salmon fisheries are headed for a collapse. The environmental implications of this potential collapse will be devastating to the Delta and its human inhabitants. Despite the extreme environmental consequences of over-pumping, private interests, notably the San Joaquin Valley agricultural water contractors, are attempting to control even more of the public’s water.
Proposed budget decreases at nine federal fish hatcheries could have a devastating effect on already fragile economies in states where these facilities are located.
The Gulf of Mexico’s hypoxic zone is predicted to be larger than average this year, due to extreme flooding of the Mississippi River this spring, according to an annual forecast by a team of NOAA-supported scientists from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Louisiana State University and the University of Michigan. The forecast is based on Mississippi River nutrient inputs compiled annually by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Commercial landing restrictions for spiny dogfish harvested in New Hampshire waters were announced today by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Marine Fisheries Division. Spiny dogfish may be harvested in state waters from July 1 through April 30 or until the northern region quota has been taken; there is a 3,000-pound trip limit for spiny dogfish. The restrictions are in accordance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan, one of the provisions of which addresses the need to control harvest in the fishery via regional quotas and daily trip limits.
While most New York members of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and New York Sportfishing Federation (Federation) were already aware of the rules, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) made it official yesterday by announcing that all saltwater anglers are required to register in the state's new, no-fee saltwater fishing registry.
On June 9, 2011, Permit conservation in Florida entered a new era. It was on this date that the Commissioners of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously to accept the recommendations of their staff, and institute new regulations for permit. The new regulations didn’t go as far as BTT had hoped, but are a giant step in the right direction, and represent a good move for conservation of the permit fishery in Florida.
June 17, 2007 - Ever since President Bush signed off on the reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSRA) in 2007, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) has been loudly sounding the alarm with regard to diminishing angler access.
NEWPORT NEWS -- Roger Burnley of Virginia Beach has established a new state record for snowy grouper with a 70-pound, 7-ounce fish caught May 22. The record fish was weighed and certified on an Ohaus digital scale at the office of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, located in Newport News. The digital scale registered 70.48 pounds but the weight was converted and listed as 70 pounds and 7-ounces as the state record.
Peter Vican, who in 2008 caught a 76-pound, 14-ounce striped bass to set the Rhode Island state record for largest striper, has bested his old mark with a monster 77-pound, 4-ounce fish taken on Sunday, June 19.
June 20, 2011 - Testimony before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, U.S. Senate
BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK, Fla. (WSVN) -- A group of Miami bankers who took part in a fishing tournament reeled in a 1,000 pound mako shark over the weekend.
June 24, 2011 - As part of stepped-up efforts to address an increase in sea turtle strandings in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA announced today it will explore new rules to reduce unintended catch and mortality of sea turtles in the southeastern shrimp fishery.
A bill introduced by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) seeks to ensure that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Fisheries Service is required to set catch limits based on sound science. The bi-partisan legislation, known as the Fishery Science Improvement Act (FSIA), is endorsed by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus as well as a broad coalition of conservation, sportfishing and marine industry groups. Original co-sponsors of H.R. 2304 include Rep. Wittman’s colleagues Reps. Mike Ross (D-AR); Jeff Miller (R-FL); Heath Shuler (D-NC); Bob Latta (R-OH); Jo Bonner (R-AL.); Dan Boren (D-OK); Charles Boustany (R-LA); Bill Cassidy (R-LA); Jeff Duncan (R-SC); John Fleming (R-LA); Frank Guinta (R-NH); Andy Harris (R-MD); Martin Heinrich (D-NM); Duncan Hunter (R-CA); Jeff Landry (R-LA); Scott Rigell (R-VA); and Steve Southerland (R-FL).
Anglers have been trying to beat the mythical 400 lb mark for yellowfin tuna for decades - and the feat has finally been accomplished. Three months and seven days after his momentous catch aboard the long-range sportfisher Vagabond, the IGFA is pleased to announce that retired school superintendant Mike Livingston of Sunland, California, has been awarded the All-Tackle record for yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). His 405 lb fish, boated on November 30, 2010 now replaces a 33 year old record set in 1977 by Curt Wiesenhutter.
The State Record Fish Committee of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) has confirmed that the 143-pound blue catfish caught on June 18, in the John H. Kerr Reservoir, known as Buggs Island Lake, is a new state record. The committee members reviewed the application, verified the location of the catch as well as the species, weight, length, and girth of the fish. A VDGIF Conservation Police Officer and Fisheries Biologist were present at the weigh-in.
The Fisheries Science Improvement Act (H.R. 2034), introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) on June 23, 2011, with the support of a bi-partisan group of 18 other Members of Congress, seeks to ensure that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is required to set catch limits based on data, not on guesstimates.
(6/28/2011) Nearly 5 years of political pressure by grassroots political activism along the coast seems to be paying off for recreational fishermen and business owners, as a new piece of legislation introduced before Congress last week (HR 2304) shows that Congress is beginning to recognize the plight of the saltwater angler.
The Fisheries Science Improvement Act (H.R. 2304), introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) on June 23, 2011, with the support of a bi-partisan group of 18 other Members of Congress, seeks to ensure that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is required to set catch limits based on data, not on guesstimates.
NOAA today announced quotas and other measures for bluefin tuna that underscore the nation’s commitment to sustainable science-based management of this vital fish stock. The allocations divide the available 2011 U.S. bluefin tuna quota of 957 metric tons among commercial and recreational fishing sectors for the fishing season that began on June 1.
ALEXANDRIA, VA (July 1, 2011) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), with assistance from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, is participating in its Lapsed Boat Registration Pilot Program aimed at increasing boat registration renewals among lapsed boaters. Florida joins Oregon and Ohio as the third state to implement the direct mail pilot effort developed by RBFF in partnership with the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW).
July 5, 2011- The nation’s largest survey of protected marine species is now underway for its second year along the East Coast, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced today.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Kent Carmichael of Kansas has made fishing trips to Alaska with his dad and his brother for more than a decade before this summer but had yet to catch the big one.
At approximately 11:00 PM on Friday, July 1 a break occurred in a 12-inch pipeline owned by ExxonMobil that resulted in a spill of crude oil into the Yellowstone River approximately 20 miles upstream of Billings, Montana. According to the company’s estimates, 1,000 barrels of oil entered the river, which is in flood stage, before the pipeline was cut off.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is calling for a 53% reduction in the coastwide harvest of blackfish effective January 1, 2012, a measure which has the potential of creating economic disaster along the Atlantic Coast, particularly in New York.
NOAA’s administrator today will announce a new aquaculture initiative to help meet our country’s growing demand for seafood, while creating jobs and restoring healthy ecosystems.
This past Friday, Maine Governor Paul LePage signed into law LD 210, "An Act Regarding the Saltwater Recreational Fishing Registry," which simplifies the requirements for both resident and non-resident anglers who wish to fish in the state's coastal waters. The new registry, effective immediately, replaces Maine's fee-based license program that was implemented this past January 1st, and meets the standards established by the federal government to exempt anglers from the federal registry.
For more than a decade, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) has been extremely vocal about the infusion of preservationist rhetoric and funding coming into the world of fisheries management. RFA Executive Director Jim Donofrio lobbied extensively from 2004 to 2006 to defend the recreational fishing community against an onslaught of anti-fishing agenda, which began with the heavy-handed implementation of no take marine reserves off the California coast, continuing through the inclusion of ultra-restrictive measures included in the 2006 federal reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSRA).
The Mid Atlantic summer season has really begun to heat up - in more ways than one - as hardcore recreational anglers are gearing up for another tournament season in support of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).
July 14, 2011 - With additional areas in the Gulf opening to shrimping on Friday, NOAA is continuing to help fishermen comply with Turtle Excluder Device (TED) regulations designed to prevent turtles from being caught in shrimp trawl nets.
The United States joined more than 50 countries Thursday signing a recommendation to regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) to better track vessels engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing for tunas, swordfish, sharks and other highly migratory species. Annual global economic losses due to IUU fishing are estimated to be as high as $23 billion.
The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) reminds anglers that the recreational season for Gulf of Mexico red snapper in federal waters is now officially closed. According to a release from the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) issued late last week, the closure which went into effect this morning "was established to limit the harvest of red snapper in the Gulf and help rebuild overfished stocks so that anglers can enjoy better red snapper fishing in the future."
NOAA has approved a suite of management measures for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery, developed by the New England Fishery Management Council with input from the fishing industry, which will increase fishing opportunities for fishermen. Among the measures being put into place, as a result of effective science-based management, are increased catch limits for the remainder of this fishing year and in 2012.
NOAA’s Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a draft rule, called a catch sharing plan, designed to sustainably manage the halibut stock in southeast Alaska and the central Gulf of Alaska.
Alexandria, VA – July 21, 2011 – In support of the Gulf of Mexico region, still coping with the impacts of the April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, the RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act of 2011 was introduced in the Senate. This bill directs critical funding to the Gulf of Mexico region to help revitalize coastal communities and improve fisheries habitat and data collection. The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) today expressed its strong support for this legislation and the benefits it will provide for the thousands of recreational-fishing dependent businesses who continue to try and rebound from the oil spill’s economic and environmental impacts. Introduced on July 21 by Senators Cochran (R-MS), Hutchison (R-TX), Landrieu (D-LA), Nelson (D-FL), Rubio (R-FL), Sessions (R-AL), Shelby (R-AL), Vitter (R-LA), and Wicker (R-MS), the RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act directs 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties charged to BP to the restoration of the Gulf Coast environment and economy.
NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. joined Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and other national and state leaders today to recognize the pioneering Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP). This new, innovative ocean management plan improves state review processes and policies to facilitate the development of offshore projects that could lead to the creation of hundreds of wind energy jobs and balance energy development with transportation, fishing, recreation and environmental stewardship along the state’s coast and adjacent federal waters.
The American Fly Fishing Trade Association today joined Trout Unlimited and a host of other sporting and conservation organizations in opposing the so-called Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act, which would remove all protections from the last, best fishing and hunting destinations in the United States.
July 27, 2011 - Former New York Republican Congressman James Walsh is now lobbying his congressional friends in DC on behalf of catch shares and the privatization of our coastal fish stocks. According to the Legal Times, Walsh is among members of the K&L Gates government affairs practice who've notified Congress that they are now advocating for the South Atlantic Fishermen's Association, having received $10,000 from the group between April 1 and June 30 for its advocacy efforts.
The first Diamond Jim impostor of the 2011 Maryland Fishing challenge has been caught by David Huffman of Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. Huffman was fishing off of Rock Hall, Md. on July 20, when he hooked the 22-inch striped bass. The Diamond Jim imposter, worth $500, was one of nearly 600 rockfish tagged so far this summer. If no one catches the authentic Diamond Jim - worth $25,000 - the money will be split among those who caught the imposters.
With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continuing to struggle in the management of the nation’s fisheries, lawmakers today held a committee hearing intended to explore the impact of a looming deadline that will force the agency to set annual catch limits on stocks of fish for which it has no science. Today’s hearing, “NOAA’s Fishery Science: Is the Lack of Basic Science Costing Jobs? looked at how NOAA’s fishery research affects jobs and the coastal economy.
Recreational fishermen in the nearshore waters off the coast of Port Mansfield will have almost five times the amount of habitat to fish within eight miles of the Port Mansfield Jetties after a major infusion of hard structure this week. CCA Texas’s habitat program, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT) teamed up with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Artificial Reef Program and Alamo Concrete Products to further enhance the existing Port Mansfield nearshore reef with more than 4,000 concrete culverts.
NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the Government of Bermuda have pledged cooperation on scientific and educational programs to better protect the endangered North Atlantic humpback whale population.
While many Americans are enjoying Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, fisheries managers and corporate entities along the Atlantic Coast are busy preparing for a week of heavy bunker discussion!
On July 29, 2011 Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL) teamed up with 11 additional Members of Congress to introduce bi-partisan legislation in the Senate and House—The Billfish Conservation Act of 2011—that will help restore billfish populations that are badly depleted by commercial overfishing. By protecting these magnificent fish from overfishing, this legislation will lead to the long-overdue recovery of billfish.
Reefing operations began in Port Mansfield last week in a joint project between the Coastal Conservation Association, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow and Texas Parks and Wildlife.
NOAA-supported scientists found the size of this year’s Gulf of Mexico dead zone to be 6,765 square miles. Researchers had predicted the potential for a record sized dead zone between 8,500 and 9,421 square miles due to the spring flooding of the Mississippi River and the associated large loads of nutrients running off into the Gulf, but strong winds and waves associated with Tropical Storm Don disrupted the western portion of the dead zone.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission passed a motion to modify existing rules for the recreational harvest of bluefin tuna, in an effort to remain consistent with federal regulations currently in place.
This fall, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) plans to launch a Yellowfin Tuna Tagging Program, an initiative unique to the Gulf of Mexico. The program promotes a culture of catch, tag and release in the recreational fishing community and contributes to the scientific data necessary to further understand the behaviors of yellowfin tuna.
Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that anglers and boat captains who plunked down money for a saltwater fishing license in 2011 prior to the license repeal in March will be refunded in full.
Three great white sharks were spotted in recent days off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, generating understandable concern among swimmers, boaters, and lifeguards. But the season’s first arrival of the notorious predators has not caused panic or distress in area communities. On the contrary, the summertime presence of the great whites has increasingly become a tourist attraction, luring shark-seeking visitors from far-off destinations and providing a boost to local economies.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted nearly unanimously yesterday to begin a public comment period on menhaden protection along the Atlantic Coast. The so-called Draft Addendum 5 will soon be discussed publicly in hearing rooms up and down the East Coast from Maine to Florida and will present five different management measure options, ranging from status quo to overall harvest reductions by as much as 45% from 2010 levels.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yesterday protected five southeastern fish species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Tennessee is home to three of the species; Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky are home to one species each. The Center for Biological Diversity has long advocated for protection of imperiled Southeastern species, including petitioning in 2004 to protect four of the five fish in today's ruling.
Since last Friday, when news about Greg Myerson's apparent world-record striped bass started churning up the Internet, his cell phone and email in-box have been jammed with messages. His friends and people suddenly claiming to be his friends have been agog with talk of big money from endorsements.
Sometime around July 23, 2011 a major fish kill occurred on the Trout River near O'Leary, PEI. The Trout River is the site of one of PEI's best examples of stream and brook trout restoration.
Despite being one of the largest freshwater fish species in North America, scientists knew little about alligator gar until relatively recently. In the last two decades, knowledge about the species has grown tremendously in response to evidence that alligator gar populations are declining in many areas.
National Guard pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., crossed the stage with a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces Sunday to claim the title of Forrest Wood Cup champion on Lake Ouachita. Martin, with a four-day total of 20 bass for 61-1, won by a 4-pound, 10-ounce margin over EverStart pro Randall Tharp of Gardendale, Ala., who caught five bass weighing 15-1 for a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 56-7, which was good for $100,000. Sunday’s final weigh-in marked the finale of the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, which featured 58 of the world's best professional bass anglers. Martin won $600,000 plus a $1,000 Power-Pole bonus.
This past Saturday August 13th the Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail hit the waters of the Ohio River at the Gallipolis City Park Boat Ramp. In the event over 50 top anglers from different states were competing not only for cash and prizes, but the opportunity to qualify for the 2011 Cabela’s King Kat Classic. This year's Cabela's King Kat Classic will be held on the Mississippi River at Burlington, Iowa October 27-28-29, 2011.
The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh of the Jersey Shore will be holding their fourth annual fluke tournament this Saturday, August 20th. With $10,000 in prizes, the Shillelagh is quickly becoming one of the top fluke contests along the Jersey Coast.
Wal-Mart announced this week its efforts to help fund the demise of both the recreational and commercial fishing industry while also working to ensure that the next generation of sportsmen will have less access to coastal fish stocks than at any point in U.S. history.
A recent oil spill in the North Sea has officials and activists in Alaska and Scotland concerned about Shell's upcoming experimental wells in the Beaufort Sea.
