Over the
weekend, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of two measures important to the
sportfishing industry that will, among other things, conserve
recreationally-important fish stocks, restore fish habitat and support fishing
access. The sportfishing industry applauds the Senate for prioritizing the
concerns of the recreational fishing community amidst a variety of other
important legislation actions that must take place prior to the end of the
year.
"At a
time when partisan politics rule the day, it’s heartening to see that lawmakers
can come together on important issues of interest to the nation’s 60 million
anglers," said Gordon Robertson, vice president of the American
Sportfishing Association (ASA). "Issues like conserving billfish
populations and facilitating fishing access on public lands are not partisan
issues, and we are grateful that the Senate took action in support of these and
other priority legislative issues to the recreational fishing community."
On its last
day in session prior to the Presidential election, the Senate passed Senator
David Vitter’s (R-La.) Billfish Conservation Act, a measure strongly supported
by ASA and its partners, led by the International Game Fish Association. This
bill will ban the commercial harvest and sale of Pacific-caught billfish, a
measure already in place for Atlantic-caught billfish, thus helping to restore
these recreationally-important fish. Identical legislation passed the House of
Representatives on September 10, and the bill now awaits the President’s signature.
"The
Billfish Conservation Act will help restore billfish populations and improve
recreational fishing opportunities while concurrently creating jobs and other
economic benefits," said Robertson. "Senators Vitter and Bill Nelson
(D-Fla.), and Representative Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) played critical roles in
seeing this bill through to passage, and the sportfishing industry thanks them
for their leadership."
The Senate
also voted 84 to 7 in favor of the motion to proceed on the Sportsmen’s Act of
2012, introduced by John Tester (R-Mont.), which moves the legislative package
one step closer to passage. The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 includes 19 bills that
will benefit the sportfishing community, as well as recreational shooters and
hunters.
"Many
of ASA’s top legislative priorities are included in the Sportmen’s
Act of 2012, and the recent action taken by the Senate tees up this bill for a
vote when the Senate returns in November," noted Robertson. "This
historic legislation provides for increased access, habitat conservation,
protection of traditional fishing equipment and improved fish and wildlife
management. While the motion to proceed with this legislation is a positive
step, we will continue to work to ensure that the Senate passes this monumental
legislation before it adjourns later this year."
More
information on the Billfish Conservation Act and the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 is
available at ASA’s angler advocacy website, KeepAmericaFishing.org.
The
American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade
association, committed to looking out for the interests of the entire
sportfishing community. We give the industry a unified voice speaking out when
emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or
sportfishing itself. We invest in long-term ventures to ensure the industry
will remain strong and prosperous as well as safeguard and promote the enduring
economic and conservation values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives
America’s 60 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their
ability to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways through KeepAmericaFishing, our angler advocacy campaign. America’s
anglers generate over $45 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on
the nation’s economy creating employment for over one million people.