Policy in Action

Bush Administration

• Secured 2007 Executive Order signed by President Bush protecting redfish and striped bass as federal gamefish
  
  
• Obtained 2008 Executive Order protecting recreational fishing on all federal lands and waters
  
  
• Defeated the “Islands in the Stream” no-fishing zones in the Gulf of Mexico
  
  
• Blocked efforts at the Council on Environmental Quality to permanently lock anglers out of huge areas of the Pacific

Obama Administration

• Redirected the White House on its National Ocean Policy toward responsible uses of our ocean resources, rather than protectionism
  
  
• Pushed the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012 through Congress and into law
  
  
• Secured greater recreational representation on regional fishery management councils 
  
  
• Published, in partnership with leading marine conservation and trade associations, guidance for federal policy makers in A Vision for Marine Fisheries Management in the 21st Century: Priorities for a New Administration, calling for an end to antiquated federal policies that have inhibited a vital source of economic growth and a proud American tradition.  The guidance provided a pathway to implement the recommendations of the Commission on Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Management, chaired by Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris and Maverick Boats President Scott Deal.

Trump Administration

• Shepherded the Modern Fish Act into law in the 115th Congress.  MFA was the most important update to our nation’s primary marine fisheries law in more than 40 years and was signed by President Trump on December 31, 2018 
  
  
• Spearheaded Modern Fish Act Progress Report to hold the federal agencies implementing the law accountable
  
  
• Championed new appropriations for recreational fisheries data collection to assist states in establishing, testing and implementing more reliable recreational data collection tools
   
  
• Passed an amendment to the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012 through Congress, which closed a loophole from 2012; federal law now clarifies that billfish landed in Hawaii can only be sold in Hawaii – ensuring that marlin, sailfish and spearfish are officially off the menu in 49 states
  
  
• Defeated a longlining Exempted Fishing Permit that would have reopened the East Florida Coast Pelagic Longline Closed Area. Under public pressure, NOAA Fisheries denied the permit
  
  
• Won State Management for recreational red snapper harvest in the Gulf.  Worked with state and federal fishery managers, along with recreational fishing advocates, to develop a path toward a more permanent solution to the problems plaguing the recreational red snapper fishery in the region. The federal government approved temporary, then permanent, State Management for the five Gulf states. 
  
  
• Secured greater recreational representation on regional fishery management councils 
  
  
• Passed the DESCEND Act, to require Gulf reef fish anglers to have a descending device aboard and ready to deploy to help conserve reef fish

Biden Administration

• United marine industry and angler conservation groups to oppose and successfully run out the clock on NOAA’s 10-knot vessel speed restrictions on the Atlantic Coast—elevating public safety, sound science and technological solutions 
  
  
• Advocated successfully for NOAA to reject a petition on vessel speed restrictions in the Gulf of Mexico
   
• Won federal funding for the landmark South Atlantic red snapper study to bring better data to future management decisions
  
  
• Secured the phase-out of drift gillnets in Pacific federal waters 
  
  
• Won additional funding for Modern Fish Act implementation and supported red snapper management improvements in the South Atlantic and Gulf
   
  
• Supported inclusion of the recreational fishing industry for disaster relief funds 
  
  
• Pushed reauthorization of the Sportfish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund to provide funding to states for fishery projects, boating access and aquatic education
  
  
• Secured recognition of the contributions made by anglers in ‘America the Beautiful’
  
  
• Secured greater recreational representation on regional fishery management councils