June 2006 American Sportfishing Association Policy Watch
Policy Watch is a monthly update for the sportfishing community about
American Sportfishing Association’s Government Affairs activities.
For more information on ASA Government Affairs activities, contact Gordon
Robertson, VP and Government Affairs lead, x237 or Carol
Forthman, director, Ocean Resource Policy, x244 at 703.519.9691.
IRS is close to delivering Industry Director’s Directive
According to the IRS, ASA should have a copy of the IRS’s Industry Director’s
Directive by June 30, 2006. As soon as ASA receives this document, it will be
e-mailed to ASA members subject to the federal manufacturers’ excise tax
on sportfishing equipment as well being posted on the ASA Web site. Please watch
your e-mail for this important information.
Magnuson-Stevens Act Passes Full Senate
Yesterday, the full Senate approved the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation
and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, which moved forward with strong
bipartisan support. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) successfully lead the effort
to reauthorize the act which bears his name. The final Senate bill contains
some modifications to the Committee version; however, the changes do not remove
any of the recreational fishing industry’s priorities that were in the
version previously passed by the Senate Commerce Committee. Representative
Richard Pombo (R-CA) has pledged to bring the House bill, which has also passed
out of committee, to a vote before Congress' August recess. It is likely that
the two bills will not be identical. The bills will be reconciled in conference
to obtain a final version.
Secretary Kempthorne Announces New Park Policies
Newly appointed Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne released
a new version of the National Park Service's management policies on June 20.
In his announcement of the new policies, Kempthorne emphasized the priority
given to conservation in the new policies. The policies include ten Key Principles,
the first of which is that where a conflict exists between protection of resources
and use, conservation will be predominant. Although the principles also
include references to consultation and cooperation with local entities, it
is unclear how the new policies will affect recreational angler access. How
the policies are actually implemented will be monitored by ASA. ASA will also
work to assure that these polices adequately address angler access on lands
and waters administered by the National Park Service.
ASA Meets with National Park Service and USFWS Directors
On June 5, ASA members and staff met with National Park Service Director
Fran Mainella and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall of
the to discuss the ongoing issues about surf fishing access at Cape Hatteras
National Seashore. Issues included the apparent inconsistency among the
national seashores to the north and south of Hatteras that have less stringent
restrictions on ORV and pedestrian use. Hall committed to look into
the issues raised and inform ASA of his findings. At the meeting, the reconstruction
of the bridge over Hatteras Inlet was also discussed. The bridge
is in poor shape and requires continual maintenance to remain intact. At
issue is whether the new bridge can connect to the Pea Island National
Wildlife Refuge. Hall stated that he was precluded by law from authorizing
construction on National Wildlife Refuge lands, and such construction would
require Congressional authorization.
ASA Government Affairs Committee Meets in June
The full Government Affairs and Freshwater and Saltwater subcommittees met
on June 6 during National Fishing and Boating Week. Issues discussed included:
Progress on the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act;
the emergence of a number of access issues throughout the country; and the
need to revise the recreational data system. The committee also reviewed the
successful actions by ASA and our California partners in achieving a 2006 recreational
salmon season in California and Oregon. The issue of striped bass arose in
two contexts. The first was the proposal to reopen federal waters to fishing
for striped bass; the second is the effort to have striped bass be designated
a game fish in federal waters.
ASA Members Visit Senate and House of Representatives
ASA members used the opportunity provided by National Fishing and Boating
Week to visit a number of Capitol Hill offices from June 5-7. The meetings
gave members a chance to discuss a number of important sportfishing issues
with critical members of Congress or their staff. ASA members and staff
met with Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) concerning the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization
for which he is the prime senate sponsor. Staff for Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL),
and Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA) also met with ASA concerning the Magnuson-Stevens
Act. The Act unanimously passed the Senate on June 19. The House bill is still
pending.
Representative Walter Jones (R-NC) met with ASA members to discuss the
ongoing issues relating to access at Cape Hatteras and staff from Senator
Richard Burr's (R-NC) and Representative Charles Taylor's (R-NC) offices
also discussed surf fishing access issues. Also raised at the North Carolina
meetings was the difficulty of getting approval for replacement of the
bridge over Hatteras Inlet.
The federal manufacturers’ excise tax was the topic of meetings
with Senators Max Baucus (R-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Trent Lott (R-MS)
and Representatives Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Clay Shaw (R-FL).
CSF Breakfast Speaker Addresses Recreational Data Needs
Steve Murawski, Ph.D., director of the Office of Science and Technology
for the National Marine Fisheries Service, was the featured speaker at
the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) breakfast sponsored by
CSF and ASA. Dr. Murawski focused on the need to improve recreational
data given the critical National Research Council report on the current
data system that was published this March. That report stated that the
current system needs to be completely redesigned and is inadequate to
be used for fisheries management purposes. The recommendations of the
Research Council included the use of angler registration or licensing
systems to improve the efficiency and accuracy of data.
NOAA Developing Strategies to Address Criticism of Recreational Data Collection
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has appointed Nancy Thompson,
Ph.D., to coordinate the agency's response to the critical National Research
Council report on the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistical Survey (MRFSS).
Although Dr. Thompson has briefed some of the fishery management councils,
there has been no outreach to date to the recreational fishing community
itself. ASA has invited Dr. Thompson to a meeting in Washington to meet
with recreational groups to discuss NMFS' review and response process.
Dr. Thompson's office also will release an implementation plan this month
for the review and response. ASA will continue to ensure that the voice
of sportfishing is included in the response.
ASA President and Vice President attend White House Ceremony
Mike Nussman and Gordon Robertson attended a signing ceremony on June 15,
where President Bush designated 140,000 square miles of remote area of the
Pacific Ocean as a National Monument. As such the area will be closed to all
entry, except by permit, and will be closed to all fishing. Concerned about
the precedent this may set, ASA discussed the issue several times with White
House staff to assure an understanding of the sportfishing industry’s
concerns. In recognizing ASA and his support for the sportfishing industry
in his remarks, the President made it clear that sportfishing concerns were
heard.
