Coalition Urges Congress to Pass the Modern Fish Act Before Year’s End
NMMA and their coalition partners sent a letter to Congress yesterday, encouraging members to include the Modern Fish Act in their lands and water package and pass the comprehensive legislation before the end of the year. The recreational angling and boating communities have been strong advocates of the Modern Fish Act since it was introduced and are working to get the bill across the finish line in the coming weeks.
According to the letter, “Recreational and commercial fishing are fundamentally different endeavors and should be managed differently. Yet, antiquated, one-size-fits-all federal policies are unnecessarily limiting the public’s access to our nation’s abundant natural resources. The Modern Fish Act would make critical changes to the federal fisheries management system to better manage the recreational sector in a way that is more appropriate and effective while also improving available data.
“Earlier this year, the Modern Fish Act received bipartisan support as it cleared the Senate Commerce Committee and passed the House floor as part of a broader fisheries bill. This support is the result of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognizing that America’s 11 million saltwater anglers, who contribute $63 billion to the U.S. economy and generate 440,000 American jobs, have for too long been an afterthought in federal fisheries management.
“We respectfully ask that you send the Modern Fish Act to the President’s desk before the end of the 115th Congress.”
The full letter is available here: http://nmma.net/assets/cabinets/Cabinet516/Modern%20Fish%20Act%20Lame%20Duck%20Letter%2011.19.18.pdf
In addition to NMMA, the letter was signed by American Sportfishing Association, Center for Sportfishing Policy, Coastal Conservation Association, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, International Game Fish Association, Recreational Fishing Alliance, The Billfish Foundation, and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
For more information, please contact NMMA Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Legal Affairs, Nicole Vasilaros at [email protected].