Conservation
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Westernbass Magazine, Summer 2017
Hi All, Welcome to the summer issue of WesternBass Magazine. With all of the rain we encountered this past winter, we have the possibility for fishing lakes that have been low for some time plus, with the snow pack these waters should remain hi throughout the summer. I hope to the season finds you all out fishing these great conditions. The year has seen large attendance for many of the circuits - Wild West, Best Bass Tournaments and Future Pro Tour, WON Bass, which are all site advertisers. I want to thank you all for supporting our advertisers, without them, this site and the WesternBass.com digital publication that you are reading wouldn’t be possible. Please continue to support them as they make all of this possible. We have many things to look forward to during our summer season. Something WesternBass always enjoys is the trip to ICAST. As usual we be on the floor to bring you a glimpse at the new items coming from your favorite manufacturers. We will be excited to finally here what the top secret Yo-Zuri product is that is being covertly advertised in this issue (click to see!). I also am excited for the upcoming summer specialty events that take place each year, like the Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge, the Snag Proof Open and the Ultimate Frog Challenge. As always good fishing - see you out on the water.
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Senate Commerce Committee Advances Billfish Conservation Act
Conservationists and anglers are applauding the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for advancing S. 396, the Billfish Conservation Act. The bill, introduced in February by U.S. Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), was adopted and reported favorably without amendment during an executive session on May 18.
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American Sportfishing Association Joins NC Sound Economy Coalition
Alexandria, Va. – The American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) Board of Directors voted in favor of supporting the NC Sound Economy initiative at their spring meeting in late March. The NC Sound Economy is a newly formed and growing coalition of recreational fishermen, business leaders and concerned citizens that work together to urge state legislators to adopt fisheries management policies that both grow the fishery in North Carolina’s sounds and maximize its economic benefits.
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Inaugural Conservation Awarded to Bass Pro Shops' Johnny Morris
Recognizing an unmatched commitment toward the conservation of elk and elk country, Bass Pro Shops founder and noted conservationist Johnny Morris was the first-ever recipient of the Elk Country Lifetime Achievement Award during the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) 2017 National Convention held in Nashville, Tenn.
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Senators Weigh in on Billfish Conservation Act
Conservationists and anglers are praising a bill filedWednesday by U.S. Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) that seeks to clear the way for full implementation of a landmark law to raise protections for billfish. The Billfish Conservation Act (BCA) was lauded when it was signed into law in 2012, but a slight ambiguity in the wording of the original legislation prevented it from being implemented as intended by the federal government.
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Oregon Coast Coho Salmon Habitat Conservation
NOAA Fisheries today released a recovery plan for Oregon Coast coho salmon that calls for public-private partnerships to conserve habitat for the threatened species, positioning coho for possible removal from the federal list of threatened and endangered species within the next 10 years.
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Wyoming TU Partners with School to Reconnect Native Cutthroat Habitat
A small creek in southwest Wyoming just got a big upgrade. This November, a push-up style diversion was improved to a fish-friendly rock vane structure with a head-gate, reconnecting approximately 6 miles of habitat for the native Colorado River cutthroat trout that reside there
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Scientists Mapping Aquatic Species of Western United States
Scientists plan to create a biodiversity map identifying thousands of aquatic species in every river and stream in the western U.S.
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Delay of Commerical Season for Dungeness Crab due to Acid Levels
The traditional Dec. 1 opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season along the entire Oregon coast will be delayed due to domoic acid levels in some areas.
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South Atlantic States Cobia Hearings
The South Atlantic states of Virginia through Florida have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Cobia.
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Thanksgiving holiday special: One-day fishing/hunting combo licenses are half-price
Here’s a great way for residents and winter visitors to get the family and friends out and experience Arizona’s great outdoors.
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Two Dams Set for Removal
Friends of the Presumpscot River (FOPR) and Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) announced today the filing of a long-awaited settlement agreement that will lead to the construction of fish passage and removal of two dams at Saccarappa Falls in Downtown Westbrook.
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New Barracuda Size Limits Set for Florida
At its November meeting in St. Petersburg, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) set new barracuda size limits.
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Conservation call for Regulations on Smallmouth Bass at Mille Lacs
The Mille Lacs Smallmouth Alliance (MLSA) is educating anglers about techniques and benefits of catch and release, informing area businesses of potential business from this world-class bass fishery, dispelling myths that bass eat walleyes (they don't), and challenging resource management to use scientific-based information to advise regulatory changes.
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Go Fish: State License Plate to Support Marine Habitat
During the 2016 session of the Georgia General Assembly, members of the Coastal Conservation Association spearheaded an effort to get coastal legislators to amend Georgia law to authorize a new specialty motor vehicle license plate.
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NOAA Plan to Restore Pelagic Gulf Fishes
The Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) is implementing a project to help restore pelagic fish in the Gulf. This project will benefit the Gulf of Mexico in the short- and long-term and will compensate for impacts from the spill.
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Lake Okeechobee Reservoir Debate
Without science to back up their claims, the Foundation folks are traveling across Florida crying that the state needs more land south of Lake Okeechobee to help "Save the Everglades."
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Lake Hefner Confirms Invasive Zebra Mussels
Biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the City of Oklahoma City confirmed invasive zebra mussels have found their way into Lake Hefner, a water-supply reservoir in northwestern Oklahoma City.
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