News Category: Fisheries

Why It Matters: Access for anglers is critical to sustaining participation in recreational fishing. Impediments to access come in many forms, and last week, Congress advanced two priority bills for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) that will benefit anglers and improve angling access, though in very different ways.    Highlights:  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has jurisdictional authority of our nation’s marine fisheries resources from the limit […]

Why It Matters: Rodman Reservoir, constructed in 1968, is a 9,500-acre reservoir in Northeast Florida and is one of the premier largemouth bass fisheries in the world. For decades, there have been efforts led by environmental groups to destroy Rodman Reservoir in favor of “restoring” the Ocklawaha River with vague goals and objectives, jeopardizing a staple of the recreational fishing community. …

(January 13, 2026) – Washington, D.C. — The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) encourages the advancement of H.R. 5745, the Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act, following a hearing before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, where CSF provided testimony in strong support of the legislation.  On Tuesday, January 13, Chris Horton, Senior Director of Fisheries Policy for CSF, testified before…

Why It Matters: Offshore fishing in the Gulf of America (Gulf) is often around oil and gas platforms and associated infrastructure. These hard structures that dot the Gulf provide valuable habitat for fish, corals, and invertebrates, and important fishing destinations for anglers and commercial fishermen alike. Unfortunately, many have been removed through decommissioning. For years,  the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been working to improve the Rigs-To-Reefs program, and we…

Why It Matters: Marine fisheries management varies widely among Atlantic Coast states. Any opportunity to develop and implement harvest reporting requirements should be approached carefully with the goal of providing credible data that can, in turn, be used to manage a resource enjoyed by millions of anglers. Reliable catch information, if properly developed, could advance…

(December 17, 2025) – Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, the U.S. Senate took the final step on legislation requiring federal agencies that manage fresh waters to digitize and pool their regulatory data into a consistent mapping format, allowing the American public to confidently access and enjoy our nation’s public waters. H.R. 187, the Modernizing Access to…

Why it Matters: While many, including many of us at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, are spending their fall chasing pheasants, sitting in deer stands, or calling ducks in, there is still plenty of time to hit the open waters for fishing. With lakes in the upper part of the Great Plains region likely freezing soon,…

Why It Matters: Creating pathways to significantly improve recreational catch information and establishing a Mississippi River Basin Commission, both priorities for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), were the subjects of two of the bills heard before the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee last week. Highlights: Three CSF-supported fishing and fisheries conservation bills, two of which…

Why It Matters: The use of descending devices and venting tools has been  shown to significantly reduce post release mortality of deep caught fish. In early January of 2021, President Trump signed the DESCEND Act that directed NOAA to implement descending and venting tool requirements for reef fish fisheries in the Gulf of America (Gulf),…

Why It Matters: Menhaden are a critical part of the coastal ecosystem, serving as an important forage food for many recreationally important species such as redfish, speckled trout, and others. It’s also a critically important resource for the commercial fishing industry in Louisiana. Over the years, there have been growing concerns by the recreational fishing community…

Why It Matters: Management of several important marine fisheries for recreational anglers along the Atlantic seaboard, such as striped bass, red drum, and Atlantic menhaden, are managed cooperatively by the 15 member states of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). This year’s ASMFC annual meeting presented the Commission with no shortage of hefty decisions,…

Why It Matters: There have been several issues impacting hunters and anglers in Florida so far in 2025. Everything from saving one of the most popular trophy bass fishing lakes in the world, re-establishing a black bear hunting season, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission restructuring, powers of game wardens, and more were on the…