September 2009 American Sportfishing Association Policy Watch

Policy Watch is a monthly update for the sportfishing community about the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) Government Affairs activities.

For more information on ASA Government Affairs activities, contact Gordon Robertson, vice president and Government Affairs lead, 703.519.9691, x237, Patty Doerr, Ocean Resource Policy director, x244, or Mike Leonard, Policy Fellow, x230.

Industry Hopeful About NOAA’s “Fresh Look” at Recreational Fishing

Following a number of conversations with ASA and other members of the recreational fishing industry and media, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., announced her intention to “take a fresh look” at NOAA’s relationship with the recreational fishing community. As a first step, NOAA intends to create a new Senior Policy Advisor for recreational fishing that will report directly to the NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator who will address the interests of the recreational community when policy is being considered. This advisor will coordinate, in cooperation with the angling community, a national recreational fishing summit to identify issues of concern and possible solutions. During ASA’s Sportfishing Summit next month in San Diego, Dr. Lubchenco will address ASA’s membership and guests on Tuesday, October 27.

Sportfishing Summit Pre-Registration Deadline Approaching
The American Sportfishing Association’s 2009 Sportfishing Summit, the sportfishing industry’s premier networking and business management event, is scheduled for October 27 – 29, at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, Calif. The deadline for pre-registration and the discounted group housing rate is October 7, so act now. Everything you need to register for the Summit and reserve resort accommodations are available on ASA’s 2009 Sportfishing Summit Web site. You can download a detailed agenda, registration form, housing form and information on sponsorship opportunities and recreation opportunities. For more information, contact, ASA Communications Director Mary Jane Williamson, x227, or Communications Associate Ryan Colaianni, x222.

ASA Meets with NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
On September 1, ASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries staff met to discuss collective priorities and shared goals for the Sanctuary System. The National Marine Sanctuaries Act, currently before Congress, would reauthorize the Sanctuaries program, which was last reauthorized in 2000. In the meeting, ASA explained its position on reauthorization and specifically on marine reserves, as well as discussed ways to improve the relationship between NOAA Sanctuaries and the recreational fishing community.

ASA Attends AFWA Annual Meeting
ASA staff attended the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) annual meeting September 9-13, in Austin, Texas. Meetings of interest included Fisheries and Water Resources Policy, Angler and Boater Participation, Trust Funds, Marine Fisheries and Fish and Wildlife Disease. ASA staff used this gathering as an opportunity to discuss AFWA’s position on lead fishing tackle, marine protected area designations, ocean policy and Wallop-Breaux Reauthorization.

California Marine Life Protection Act Planning Update
ASA and the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans (PSO) which represents recreational fishing and boating interests in California, continues to be engaged in the Marine Life Protection Act South Coast Planning Process. The South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group met September 9-10 to finalize three marine protected area (MPA) proposals to be forwarded to the Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) at its October 19-21 meeting in Long Beach, Calif. During the meeting, the BRTF will vote on which proposal to recommend to the California Fish and Game Commission for its approval. ASA’s California members are encouraged to attend the meeting on October 20 at the Hilton Hotel in Long Beach and provide public comment in support of Proposal 2. Proposal 2 seeks to minimize unnecessary closures to recreational fishing and is the proposal supported by the PSO. More information on the meeting is forthcoming. Members may also contact Patty Doerr, ASA’s Ocean Resource Policy director, for more information.

Oregon Marine Reserves Update
In September, ASA staff and its Oregon representative visited legislators, angler groups and local government officials to discuss Oregon’s process for establishing marine reserves as well as to provide testimony at a public meeting held in Newport, Oregon. The purpose of the public meeting, the first of several to come, was to hear comments on how the Oregon process will move forward. Per legislation that was signed into law this summer, the state will designate two small marine reserves and study an additional four areas for consideration. ASA is focusing on the four study areas and providing input on the criteria to determine how and if these study areas will become new reserves.

Send a Letter to Support the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act
ASA continues to work with other members of the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (NFHCA) legislative team to advocate to Members of Congress for their support of the bill and to seek additional sponsorship. In order to ensure this important bill is passed, please send a letter to your House of Representatives member today asking for his or her support of the NFHCA. Additional co-sponsors are needed in order for this bill to succeed. The measure currently has 13 Senate sponsors and four House sponsors. The foundation for the NFHCA is the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP). ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson sits on the NFHAP Board.

CEQ Releases Ocean Policy Task Force Interim Report
On September 17, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released its Interim Report of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. The report is in response to a memorandum issued by President Obama on June 12 which established the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, headed by CEQ, to develop a set of recommendations for a national ocean policy within 90 days. The Interim Report provides a preliminary overview of the national policy, policy coordination framework and its implementation to meet the President’s charge. The report is open for a 30 day public comment period which ends October 17. To view and comment on the report, click here. On August 31, ASA staff met with Department of Interior staff to discuss their involvement in the Task Force and provide ASA’s perspective on various ocean policy issues, including marine spatial planning and marine reserves. ASA is currently reviewing the report and preparing comments. ASA had previously met with and provided comments to CEQ.

Biscayne National Park Fisheries Management Plan Update
As part of updating the Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) in Biscayne National Park (BNP), located near Miami, Fla., National Park Service officials have proposed to include no-fishing marine reserves to address overfishing. ASA has drafted separate letters for Florida Governor Crist and legislators and the NPS addressing this issue. The NPS is urged to follow the recommendations of its own working group which did not include no-fishing zones in its FMP recommendations. In particular, ASA’s Florida members are encouraged to send comments and help raise awareness of this issue. Comments on the FMP are due by October 6. The FMP includes five alternatives to guide future management of the park’s fisheries, three which would allow for marine reserves to be used as a management strategy in BNP. For more information, please go to www.keepamericafishing.org/florida.html.

Wallop-Breaux Reauthorization Update
The Angling and Boating Alliance, the ad hoc group comprised of ASA and other key angling and boating groups, continues to promote reauthorization of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund (Wallop-Breaux). In late August, the Alliance met with staff from the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to discuss Wallop-Breaux reauthorization as part of the reauthorization of the Federal Highway Trust Fund (FHTF). Wallop-Breaux must be reauthorized as part of the FHTF in order to capture the revenue from that part of the federal fuel tax attributable to motor boat and small engine use. The FHTF was recently given a $7 billion transfer to extend it through the end of the year, and Congress is currently proposing an 18-month extension to the FHTF, which would keep current law in place until March 31, 2011.

E15 Waiver Not Brought Forward
Thanks in part to a letter signed by a broad coalition of organizations, including ASA, an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have required the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant a waiver for testing of “mid-level ethanol blends” (gasoline blends containing more than 10 percent ethanol, such as E15) before being introduced on the market was not offered. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), would have disregarded the consumer and environmental protections embedded in the Clean Air Act that require significant testing before a new fuel is introduced. The amendment would have been included in the 2010 Interior/EPA appropriations bill; however, the amendment was never offered, and the bill passed on September 24. ASA is opposed to any increase in the amount of ethanol blended into a gasoline until tests are conducted and prove that such an increase would not detrimentally affect marine engine durability, performance or emissions. Most marine and other small gasoline-powered engines are designed, calibrated, and certified to run on not more than 10 volume percent ethanol, and higher concentrations of ethanol in fuel pose serious problems to these engines.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area Update
Please send a letter to your Members of Congress urging them to support legislation that would restore reasonable off-road vehicle (ORV) and pedestrian access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area (CHNSRA). These bills, S. 1557 and H.R. 718, would reinstate the Interim Management Strategy finalized by the Park Service in 2007 to govern ORV use on CHNSRA until a long-term ORV management plan is completed in 2010. Reinstating the original Interim Management Strategy would set aside the onerous restrictions established by a May 2008 consent decree filed in U.S. District Court. This decree severely restricts ORV and citizen access to a significant portion of the seashore, including prime surf fishing locations on the East Coast. *Note – This is a call to action for ALL members, not just those from North Carolina. Please show your support for the Hatteras community.

California Central Valley Water Amendment Defeated in Senate
On September 22, the Senate rejected an amendment to the $32 billion Interior Department funding bill that would have overturned two federal agency decisions that guide protections for the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta and various vulnerable species including salmon and the Delta smelt. The amendment, offered by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), would have allowed for greater California Central Valley irrigation deliveries, which would greatly reduce the supply of water flowing into the Delta critical to the survival of many recreationally and economically valuable fish species. The Senate rejected the amendment by a 61-36 margin.

ASA Participates in Forum with U.S. Forest Service Chief Tidwell
On September 2, ASA staff participated in the 2009 Forum on Forests with U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. This open, informal forum allowed for various interested organizations and agencies to offer perspective on issues likely to influence the conservation and sustainable management of the nation’s forests in the foreseeable future. Discussion topics included land conservation and restoration, energy development, climate change, and the U.S. Forest Service’s “Rise to the Future” program.

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