Two Decades of Speaking
with One Voice for Recreational Fishing
Celebrating 20 years of leadership, collaboration and progress
as we look toward the opportunities ahead.
Twenty years ago, leaders from across the recreational fishing and boating community came together because they knew our community needed a strong, unified voice in Washington. Since then, the Center for Sportfishing Policy has brought together anglers, conservation organizations and marine businesses to protect access, improve federal fisheries policy and advance the future of recreational fishing.
The issues have changed, but the need for that united voice has not. CSP continues to turn broad industry agreement into practical policy solutions that can earn support in Congress and across administrations.
How CSP Began
CSP Board Chair Thom Dammrich shares how the organization began, the leaders and organizations that made it possible and why persistence and collaboration have remained central to CSP’s success.
Twenty Years of Policy in Action
Across presidential administrations and changing political landscapes, CSP has remained focused on the issues that matter to America’s saltwater anglers. Long-term relationships, credible information and a coalition willing to stay engaged have produced meaningful progress.
Elevating recreational fishing as a national policy priority
Protecting public access to healthy marine resources
Advancing better recreational fisheries data and management
Strengthening state and federal partnerships
Promoting conservation and modern marine technology
Giving the marine recreational fishing community one voice in Washington
The Timeline
2004 – 2006
Bush Administration
- PROTECTED ICONIC GAMEFISH
Secured the 2007 Executive Order protection redfish and striped bass as gamefish in federal waters - DEFENDED RECREATIONAL ACCESS
Obtained a 2008 Executive Order protecting recreational fishing on all federal lands and waters - STOPPED UNNECESSARY CLOSURES
Defeated “Islands in the Streams” no-fishing zones and blocked efforts to lock anglers out large areas of Pacific
2009 – 2016
Obama Administration
- BILLFISH CONSERVATION ACT
Pushed the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012 through Congress and into law - RESPONSIBLE OCEAN POLICY
Redirected the White House National Ocean Policy toward responsible uses of ocean resources rather than protectionism - A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Published the Morris-Deal Report, providing guiding principles for modern, science-based fisheries management and advancing recommendations from the Commission on Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Management
2017 – 2020
Trump Administration
- MODERN FISH ACT SIGNED INTO LAW
Shepherded the most significant update to federal fisheries law in more than 40 years - STATE MANAGEMENT FOR RED SNAPPER
Won state management for recreational red snapper in the Gulf - PROTECTED ACCESS & ADVANCED CONSERVATION
Defeated a longline EFP; passed the DESCEND Act, and secured greater recreational representation on the councils
2021 – 2024
Biden Administration
- RAN OUT THE CLOCK ON THE 10-KNOT RULE
United anglers and industry to run out the clock on NOAA’s proposed Atlantic vessel speed restrictions - BETTER DATA FOR RED SNAPPER
Won federal funding for the landmark South Atlantic Red Snapper study - CONSERVATION AND ACCESS
Secured phase-out of Pacific drift gill nets; supported Modern Fish Act implementation & reauthorization of Sportfish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund; expanded disaster relief for recreational fishing
A HISTORIC STEP FOR SALTWATER ANGLING
On September 17, 2026, President Trump announced the Restoring America’s Saltwater Angling and Recreation Executive Order. It marked a historic recognition of recreational fishing’s importance to our economy, coastal communities and way of life – and advanced priorities CSP and its partners have championed for years.
Modernize recreational fisheries data collection
Strengthen state-federal partnerships and improve the use of state data
Improve recreational fisheries economic data
Advance technology-based approaches to marine mammal avoidance
Fast-track artificial reef and habitat creation
Address shark and pinniped depredation and their impacts on recreational fishing
“This Executive Order is a historic recognition of what millions of American anglers and coastal communities have known for decades: marine recreational fishing deserves a management system built for the way Americans fish. By prioritizing better data, stronger state partnerships and modern management approaches, President Trump’s order builds on our conservation gains creating a path to more reliable access and opportunity in America’s oceans.”
The Next Twenty Years Starts Now!
The next generation of anglers will face new challenges: changing fisheries, evolving technology, growing competition for access and an increasing need for reliable science. CSP’s role will remain the same – bring the community together, develop workable solutions and ensure recreational fishing has a strong voice where federal decisions are made.
