30 x 30 Initiative

The “30 by 30” initiative is an effort to establish a goal of protecting 30% of globe’s land and water by the year 2030.

While countries around the world are engaged, “30 by 30” is currently being handled in the U.S. on the state level. As state-specific versions of the legislation are introduced, it will be critically important to work closely with early adopters to consistently include the importance of recreational fishing.

In response to the rollout of the “30 by 30” initiative, a coalition of fishing, hunting and conservation groups have assembled to ensure the interests and contributions of sportsmen and sportswomen, the original conservationists, are part of the process.

ASA supports “30 by 30” policies that recognize fishing as a well-managed and sustainable activity that is in harmony with other management goals.

ASA successfully opposed California’s AB3030, a state level “30 by 30” initiative, because its language was misleading, ambiguous and set the stage for unreasonable restrictions for recreational fishing. We took the strong stance of “oppose unless amended.”

ASA was an original signer of the Hunt Fish 30 x 30 position statement.

On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed an “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” which focuses on addressing climate change as well as “30 x 30.” The nation’s leading recreational fishing and boating trade associations expressed support for the order’s overarching conservation goals, as well as its emphasis on collaborating with the outdoor recreation community in carrying out 30×30. The groups expressed caution over the need to ensure that 30×30 policies do not result in arbitrary restrictions on public access.

In California, Assemblyman Ash Kalra introduced the Human Right to Nature Act, AB 50. AB 50 would establish that the State of California recognizes that access to nature and the benefits of nature are human rights. It also directs state agencies to prioritize investments and access to nature to communities in need, including communities of color, Indigenous Peoples, and economically disadvantaged communities. Our coalition is concerned the true intent is to accomplish some of the goals of the defeated AB 3030 – which was introduced by the same Assemblyman. We have sent a letter to Assemblyman to clarify the intent of this bill and to express our continued concerns regarding the relationship with AB3030.

On May 6, 2021, several federal agencies released their “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful” report. The document provides initial recommendations on how to achieve the goal of conserving 30% of all U.S. lands and waters by the year 2030 – also known as “30 by 30” – as directed by President Biden’s Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. ASA expressed its appreciation for the report’s consistent acknowledgements of recreational fishing’s importance to the nation. Read more >

In February of 2022, in response to the executive order from Governor Newsom, the California Natural Resources Agency released a draft strategy to conserve 30 percent of the state’s land and coastal waters by 2030. While a laudable goal, the state is very narrowly defining what counts as “conserved.” In fact, the draft strategy claims that marine protected areas (MPAs), which ban or significantly restrict sportfishing, are the only management approach that conserve marine biodiversity. Because 16 percent of state marine waters are currently part of the MPA network, this means the state would need to nearly DOUBLE the amount of no fishing zones in order to meet the 30 by 30 goal.