June 2008 American Sportfishing Association Policy Watch
Policy Watch is a monthly update for the
sportfishing community about the American Sportfishing Association’s
Government Affairs activities.
For more information on ASA Government Affairs activities, contact Gordon
Robertson, vice president and Government Affairs
lead, 703.519.9691, x237, Patty
Doerr, Ocean Resource Policy director, x244, or Mary
Beth Charles, Policy Fellow, x230.
Board of Directors Election
Results – Correction
Six members of the ASA Board of Directors were elected or re-elected in
June. Regional seats went to Jeff Marble, Frabill, Inc., who will serve
the Great Lakes Region; Jay Jolly, Boater’s World Marine Centers,
who will serve the Southeast Region; and Gregg Wollner, Normark
Corporation, who will serve the Northern Plains and Inter-Mountain Region.
All three were re-elected to their seats. At-large seats went to Chip Powell,
Mason Tackle Co. (re-elected); Bruce Stanton, PRADCO Fishing and Peter Foley,
Boone Bait Company. Their terms begin October 1, 2008. Please note - Jim
Lebson, G. Loomis, is the Board representative for the West Region.
Marine Life Protection Act Update (MLPA)
California
Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) proposal 2-XA remains one of four
North Central Coast marine protected area (MPA) alternatives. The Blue
Ribbon Task Force officially submitted the proposal to the Fish and Game
Commission in early June. The Commission will now hold a series of public
meetings to hear testimony on the four proposals and then vote on the
final alternative in fall 2008. Proposal
2-XA has the support of ASA and the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans
(PSO). Although each proposal establishes a series of MPAs along the
North Central coast as required under the MLPA, the alternative supported
by ASA and the PSO has the least economic impact by minimizing unnecessary
closures to recreational fishing while placing a high priority on marine
resources conservation. Southern California is preparing for the MLPA
process to begin in that region. In preparation, PSO members have
attended SoCal Regional Stakeholder Meetings.
Cape Hatteras Negotiated Rulemaking
Committee Meeting
ASA participated in the latest Negotiated
Rulemaking Committee meeting to develop a management plan for the use
of off road vehicles (ORVs) in Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational
Area (CHNSRA). The meeting, held in Nags Head, N.C. on June 17-18, focused
on the science behind some of the resource issues facing the Seashore – specifically
protection of the piping plover and other shorebirds in the area. ASA is represented
on the Committee by board member Bob Eakes, owner of Red Drum Tackle Shop,
Buxton, N.C. The next meeting is scheduled for September 8-9; however, several
subcommittees will be meeting over the summer to work on a variety of issues.
North Carolina Delegation Introduces Legislation to Restore Hatteras
Access
Senators Burr (R-NC) and Dole (R-NC) and Representative Jones (R-NC) have
introduced legislation that would restore reasonable ORV access to CHNSRA.
The legislation (S.
3113 and H.R.
6233) would reinstate the Interim Management Strategy finalized in 2007
to govern off-road vehicle use on CHNSRA until the long-term plan is complete.
The reinstatement of the original Interim Management Strategy would set aside
the restrictions established by a May consent decree filed in U.S. District
Court that currently severely restricts ORV and citizen access to a significant
portion of the seashore, including prime surf fishing locations on the East
Coast.
ASA Meets with Hatteras Community
ASA and several business owners and prominent members of the Cape Hatteras
community who have been affected by the closures met with Senator Dole and
Rep. Jones, along with staff from Senator Burr’s office. Discussion
focused on the economic hardships that have resulted from the consent decree,
and that the court process circumvented the public process. The Hatteras
community expressed their appreciation for the bills introduced by Senators
Dole and Burr and Congressman Jones. Please send
a letter to your Members of Congress urging their support of S. 3113
and H.R. 6233. *Note – This is a call to action for ALL members,
not just those from North Carolina. Please show your support for the Hatteras
community. For more information, read ASA’s
position on S. 3113 and H.R. 6233.
Raffle Raises Funds for Summer Flounder Science Review
ASA has been working with the Save the Summer
Flounder Fishery Fund (New Jersey) to raise money for additional review
of the scientific data used to set summer flounder fishing seasons. ASA, along
with its members American Rod & Gun and Henry’s/Big Rock Sports,
contributed to the Fund by donating a Mako 17-foot, center console boat with
accessories. The boat was raffled off in Brielle, New Jersey by the Save the
Summer Flounder Fishery Fund the evening of June 28. The raffle raised approximately
$16,000 for the Fund.
Clean Boating Act of 2008
Unless Congress acts soon, the country’s 18 million recreational boat
owners will be required to obtain a federal or state permit in order to operate
their boats. These permits would apply to any water-based, non-polluting operational
discharge from a recreational boat. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Bill
Nelson (D-FL) introduced S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008, which would
fully and permanently restore a permit exemption for recreational boat’s
incidental discharges. The bill passed out of the House and Senate Committees
unanimously in May 2008. Anglers and boaters now need to encourage their elected
officials to bring the bill for a vote in the full House and Senate immediately. Send
a letter to your Members of Congress asking them to schedule
a vote on the Clean Boating Act. For more information, read ASA’s
position on S. 2766. If the Clean Boating Act does not pass, the EPA,
by court order, must implement permit regulations for all recreational boats
in the country by October 1, 2008. Thus, the EPA has begun drafting two types
of permit regulations for pleasure boaters. One permitting scheme would
apply to recreational boats under 79 feet, and the other more complex permitting
scheme would applying equally to both commercial vessels and recreational
boats over 79 feet. ASA will submit comments to the EPA in support of the
simplest permit regulation possible for recreational boaters. In the meantime,
ASA continues to support passage of the Clean Boating Act, which would nullify
the permit regulation.
ASA Staff Meets with Administration and Agency Staff Regarding MPAs
ASA staff and Government Affairs Committee member Phil Morlock, Shimano,
along with staff from the Congressional
Sportsmen’s Foundation, met with the Chairman of the President’s
Council on Environmental Quality to express concerns over the potential
establishment of additional marine protected areas by presidential executive
action. ASA reiterated to the Chairman and his staff that ASA will not support
any proposal that will unnecessarily diminish recreational fishing opportunities
in the Gulf of Mexico - or any other location - and will firmly oppose any
proposal that does so. Meetings were also held with the Assistant Secretary
of the Interior for Water and Science and the Deputy Secretary for Fish,
Wildlife and Parks.
ASA MPA Letter to President Bush
After reports in June that the Bush Administration was preparing to designate
marine protected areas (MPAs) in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, the
Atlantic Ocean and the Central Pacific via the Antiquities Act, ASA sent
a letter, along with seven other fishery organizations, to President Bush
expressing concerns. ASA expressed support for an open public process and
scientific justification for any no-take MPAs. ASA reinforced its
position that sportfishing opportunity should be fully protected in any
new MPA designations.
Farm Bill Update
The two-year effort to reauthorize the Farm Bill was finally completed
when Congress re-passed the original bill in June. After a clerical error
that omitted the Trade Title from the original bill that the president vetoed
in May, passage of the bill was at risk. Congress rectified this, passing
the bill a second time. The president again vetoed the bill, which
Congress again voted to override. The bill, including an intact $4 billion
Conservation Title, became law on June 19. In addition, salmon disaster
assistance was included in the Farm Bill, and provides $170 million to aid
commercial fishers and businesses that have been affected by the salmon
closures in California, Oregon and Washington.
Economic Disaster Assistance for West Coast Fisheries Restored
As a result of the Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon collapse that caused
a loss of $290 million and more than 4,200 jobs in California, Oregon and
Washington, the three states were granted federal emergency disaster assistance
of $170 million. However, this was threatened when the Administration proposed
to divert $70 million of the disaster assistance to pay for its contract
with the Harris Corporation, a communications firm that works closely with
government agencies. The Administration withdrew the proposal in June after
14 members of Congress express disapproval over what they deemed an “unconscionable” proposition.
Columbia River Sockeye Salmon
Ten times as many sockeye salmon as in 2007 have returned to the Columbia
River, signaling the highest return for Idaho's most endangered fish in
more than three decades. Sockeye became the first Idaho salmon listed on
the endangered species list in 1991. But the Columbia sockeye run is double
the initial predictions for this year, and may end up being the biggest
return since the 1950s. The sockeye count at Bonneville Dam east of Portland,
Ore., was 157,486 fish in the third week of June compared with just 15,427
at the same time last year. The entire count in 2007 was 26,700 sockeye
at the dam. Though this increase is good news, the Sockeye still face the
challenge of swimming upstream through eight dams and reservoirs in the
Columbia and Snake systems to reach their traditional spawning waters.
National Marine Sanctuaries Act Reauthorization Hearing
ASA staff attended a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on the reauthorization
of the National
Marine Sanctuaries Act. Testimony was heard from a variety of stakeholders,
including proponents of “no-take” fishing reserves within sanctuaries. ASA’s
position is that recreational fishing opportunities within sanctuaries be
maintained.
Lieberman Supports National Fish Habitat Action Plan
Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) has agreed to introduce the National
Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) bill, but suggests supporters assist
his office in seeking a bipartisan co-sponsor. Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) has
tentatively agreed to be a Senate co-sponsor. The NFHAP team believes it has
a champion in the House for sponsorship as well. Although the timeline is
short, the NFHAP legislative team will continue to advocate for introduction
this year. ASA has a leadership role in the legislative effort for the NFHAP,
and ASA vice president Gordon Robertson sits on the NFHAP Board.
