October 2006 American Sportfishing Association Policy Watch
Policy Watch is a monthly update for the
sportfishing community about the 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.
2006 Sportfishing Summit Frames Government Affairs Activities
Major actions resulting from the ASA Government Affairs Committee and the ASA
Board of Directors meetings at the Sportfishing Summit, held October 18–20,
in San Diego were:
- Recognizing that numerous no-fishing zones (also called marine reserves)
have been established in California and are proposed elsewhere, ASA’s
Board of Directors authorized a major new initiative to combat the proliferation
of no-fishing zones. Included in the initiative are the authorization
of funds and devotion of substantial staff time to address this issue.
The Board also authorized the staff to seek other funding to assist in
the effort. The first stage will focus on the California Marine Life
Protection Act process that has resulted in large closures on the Central
Coast of California. ASA will partner with local groups to bring a concerted
advocacy effort to this issue.
- In response to an expected recommendation from the American Fisheries
Society and The Wildlife Society that lead sinkers be banned, the ASA
Board approved the development of a response citing ASA's concerns and
disagreements with such a ban and asking for a science-based effort to
determine if there is an impact on water birds that merits restricting
or banning lead sinkers.
- Due to the recent federal district court ruling in Louisiana, ASA will
work with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the National
Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses to explore the development of
model legislation that states may use to assure that their waterways
remain open to angling. The groups will also seek to assure that states
are not adversely impacted by the recent Western District of Louisiana
federal court case ruling that angling is not a use of waters of the
United States.
- ASA will work with the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association
to determine its needs for economic and statistical information and seek
ways to assist with the gathering of that data.
- ASA staff will continue its leadership role in the efforts regarding
the Klamath River dam removal and salmon habitat issue.
- ASA will develop a position on the need for designating federal lands
as wilderness unless there is a scientific basis for the designation;
and to suggest alternative actions that don’t restrict access without
a due process.
- ASA will establish a relationship with the federal agencies that manage
Customs and Counterfeiting so ASA members will have a resource to assist
with these problems.
Federal ban on Great Lakes fish shipments
On October 23, 2006, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture banned interstate shipments of several
species of live fish from the Great Lakes states of Indiana, Illinois,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin. In addition,
importation from the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec of the same
species are not permitted. The purpose of the ban is to limit the
spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia or VHS to aquaculture facilities.
To view the order and the list of species affected go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/.
The order, issued under the authority of the Animal Health Protection
Act, will remain in effect until APHIS puts in place an Interim Rule that
is expected to establish testing and certification criteria for susceptible
species. APHIS estimates publication of the Interim Rule to occur
by spring of 2007.
VHS is a saltwater virus and is blamed for the deaths
of several species of fish in the Great Lakes such as sheepshead, muskie
and round gobies. VHS has been present in the Great Lakes system for many
years and the APHIS ban has been met with opposition from Great Lakes states
state fishery managers who have been working through their Great Lakes
Fisheries Health Committee to find practical solutions to this introduced
virus.
The impacts of the ban could be far ranging because it affects trading
of game fish species between states such as Michigan’s
supplying Ohio with steelhead trout in exchange for channel catfish. There
is also a significant impact on the bait fish market that depends on the
interstate transport of a number of popular baitfish such as emerald shiners
and fathead minnows.
ASA has written a letter of concern to APHIS and requested
they rescind the Order and seek a more reasonable solution with the states
and Canadian provinces.
President signs fishery bills
As the 109th Congress winds down, President Bush has signed several fishery
bills sent to his desk by Congress.
• The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act—this
bill authorizes the nearly 20-year old Partners for Fish and Wildlife program
which is a successful cooperative conservation program that provides funding
to private landowners to conduct conservation activities on public lands.
The program has grown over the years, and current appropriations exceed
$50 million. This is a funding source for several foundations, such as
the FishAmerica Foundation, to complete needed fishery habitat projects.
• The
Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act—this bill amends the 1990
Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act to provide for implementation
of recommendations made in the Great Lakes Fishery Resources Restoration
Study. The new law authorizes $14 million per year through 2112 for restoration
projects, including regional projects that cross state boundaries and focus
on high priority restoration activities.
• The National Fish Hatchery System
Volunteer Act—The bill enhances an existing Fish and Wildlife Service
volunteer program to help promote community partnerships for the benefit
of national fish hatcheries and fisheries program offices. The new law
provides that donations can be made to hatcheries to assist with restoration
and conservation efforts.
• The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization
Act—established by Congress in 1984, the Foundation is a private,
nonprofit organization devoted to creating public-private partnerships
in order to strategically invest in voluntary conservation projects. The
bill reauthorizes the Foundation at current funding levels through 2010
($25 million from the Department of the Interior and $5 million from the
Department of Commerce). The Foundation funds numerous fish habitat and
related fishery projects and has pledged to assist in the funding of the
National Fish Habitat Action Plan.
New Department of the Interior Officials Confirmed
Mary Bomar, who most recently headed the National Park Service's Northeast
Region, was confirmed on September 29 by the Senate as the new Director
of the National Park Service. Also confirmed were Robert Johnson
as head of the Bureau of Reclamation; C. Stephen Allred as Assistant
Secretary for lands and mineral management; and David Bernhardt as solicitor.
ASA Comments on Channel Islands Marine Reserve Proposal
The National Marines Sanctuary Program has proposed to amend the designation
for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in California and to
impose a number of no-fishing marine reserves. ASA submitted comments
on October 10 objecting to changes allowing the Sanctuary program to
manage fisheries and to establish no-fishing zones. The analysis
of the proposed zones fails to account for the social and economic impacts
of the closures and does not establish any performance criteria or review
timeframes for the reserves.
ASA Addresses the Virginia Tech Chapter of the American Fisheries
Society
ASA was invited by the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences at
Virginia Tech University to address their student chapter of the American
Fisheries Society. The Government Affairs team discussed the background
and activities of ASA and its government affairs work. Also discussed was
ASA's Policy Fellow position which will come open again in early 2007.
Students from the Department were encouraged to consider applying for the
position.
ASA meets with Interior’s new Assistant Director of the
Fish and Wildlife Service
Rowan Gould, assistant director for Federal Assistance, visited the ASA
offices and met with Mike Nussman and Gordon Robertson to discuss several
issues. Among the topics were angler access, federal excise tax issues,
expenditures of federal excise tax funds on angler interests and the importance
of maintaining solid data on angler participation and expenditures.
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Fails to Act on Summer Flounder
During its October meeting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) first approved and then rejected a quota of 19.9 million pounds for the upcoming summer flounder season. The 19.9 million pounds matches the recommendation made earlier by the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council. The initial approval was rescinded after the National Marine Fisheries Service threatened to cut fishing in federal waters to reduce overall catch. The Commission will revisit the issue during its December meeting.
