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Press Release

For Immediate Release
February 9, 2006

For more information, contact:
Tim Zink, 202.654.4625

Magnuson-Stevens Act Debate to Begin Anew with Congress' Return

TRCP Partners to Promote Sportfishing Interests

Washington, DC - The reauthorization of the most important law for marine fisheries, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, will once again get under way with Congress' return to business and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership's Marine Conservation Working Group (MCWG) will be working to ensure that policy to help recreational anglers is included.The Working Group's principles include four key points - that marine fisheries management decisions must be based on scientific review, that recreational anglers must receive a more equitable allocation of fisheries resources, that a saltwater license would benefit recreational fishermen, and that fishing tackle used by fishermen reduce bycatch and not damage habitat.

"With most of these key provisions included in the Senate bill that was reported out by the Senate Commerce Committee in December, we now depend on House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo's leadership to continue the momentum to approve a bill that is good for saltwater anglers and marine fisheries," stated Mike Nussman, President of the American Sportfishing Association, which is also a member of the TRCP's MCWG.

The TRCP Marine Conservation Working Group's principles for the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization will go a long way to improving saltwater fishing and make good sense. Fisheries management decisions that have the potential to harm sustainable fish populations or restrict recreational fishing access should not be implemented without sound scientific and environmental review to balance the economic and ecological concerns. Fisheries allocations have often shortchanged recreational anglers in favor of commercial operations and this needs to change if the $31.1 billion economic impact and 297,000 jobs supported by saltwater fishing nationwide are to persist and grow. Fisheries managers have for too long been forced to rely on random surveys of the general public to estimate the impact on fisheries stocks from recreational anglers; while a national saltwater angler registry proposed in the Senate bill will help close the gaps in data collection, state run licensing systems provide a more efficient and angler friendly means to collect important data and represent the interests of recreational anglers. And too often fishing operations use gear that either kills large numbers of non-target species or damages aquatic habitats, both of which significantly undermine recreational fishing opportunities.

"Our groups represent a broad partnership of recreational fishermen, tackle manufacturers and conservation organizations and our consensus principles will improve fisheries management in general and specifically for the benefit of saltwater recreational anglers," commented Jim Martin with the Berkley Conservation Institute and a TRCP Board Member."These priorities fall in line with some of the recommendations made by the nonpartisan Joint Ocean Commission and represent sound policy changes that we hope will be included in a Magnuson-Stevens Act signed into law this year."

The MCWG brings together marine policy experts from the American Sportfishing Association, Berkley Conservation Institute, Coastal Conservation Association, Environmental Defense, the International Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and the Izaak Walton League of America.

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The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership is a coalition of leading conservation organizations and individual grassroots partners, working together to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitat, increase funding for conservation and management, and expand access to places to hunt and fish.