Government Affairs
Current Issue
National Fish Habitat Action Plan
The Issue
Healthy waterways and robust fish populations are vital to the well-being of our society. They provide clean water and sustainable fisheries. Unfortunately, in many waters around the country, fish and the habitats on which they depend are in decline. This is of huge concern to the 40 million anglers who pursue fish recreationally and countless others who depend on them for subsistence and commerce.
By 2010, the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) will:
- Audit the condition of all fish habitats in the U.S.
- Prepare a comprehensive Status of Fish Habitats in the United States report.
- Identify 12 priority habitatareas and establish Fish Habitat Partnerships to target them.
- Fund regional partnerships.
The plan is a national investment strategy that will extend the impact of our nation’s conservation dollars. The NFHAP will leverage federal and privately raised funds to build regional partnerships aimed at fixing the nation’s biggest fisheries problems. This is the most comprehensive effort ever attempted to treat the causes of fish habitat decline, not just the symptoms.
Our Goal
To pass National Fish Habitat Action Plan legislation that will serve to better conserve, restore, and enhance fish habitats. While there are numerous efforts underway to address declining fishery health on local scales, there is a need for conservation action on a rangewide scale for these efforts to be successful. The goal of the Plan is to foster partnerships among conservation groups to achieve coordination of on-the-ground efforts for aquatic systems across the country. Combining the collective energy of state and federal agencies with local partners will offer the best chance of success.
For more information, please read the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.
Background
The economic contribution of recreational and commercial fisheries alone surpassed $146 billion in 2003. The value of fish habitat—freshwater and marine—goes well beyond angling for and harvesting of fish. A tremendous amount of work has been undertaken to protect, restore and enhance aquatic habitats because of their biological and ecological importance.
Since 1970, regulatory programs have reduced pollution and slowed the physical degradation of aquatic habitats. Thousands of river rehabilitations, reservoir enhancements, salt-marsh protection efforts and other conservation projects have been conducted across the country. Although significant gains have been made, they have not kept pace with impacts resulting from population growth and land-use changes. Finally, given the diverse array of federal, state, tribal, local and private jurisdictions, the need never has been greater for increased action and improved coordination of fisheries conservation actions across boundaries and jurisdictions.
Development of the plan began in 2001 when an ad hoc group of fisheries interests, led by the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council and including ASA, explored the concept of developing a partnership for fish habitat similar to that undertaken for waterfowl and their habitat in the 1980s through the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
By 2004, after a series of meetings around the country, fisheries professionals and stakeholders were discussing a partnership-driven, non-regulatory, science-based, landscape-scale fish habitat conservation effort. Hundreds of individuals from the fisheries management community, conservation organizations and angling groups attended regional meetings and unanimously supported this action.
ASA, along with five other conservation organizations, began meetings with Congressional staff seeking sponsorship for the NFNAP legislation. ASA spearheaded the legislative drafting and took a lead in the strategy to have the legislation introduced and passed. ASA also holds a seat on the NFHAP board.
In November 2007, Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CN) agreed to introduce the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) in the Senate. ASA has taken a leadership role in the legislative effort to obtain a co-sponsor on the Senate side, and champions in the House, as well as perfecting the draft legislation.
