Why It Matters: Last year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a highly regulated season for some harvest of goliath grouper using population data that showed goliath grouper are no longer subject to overfishing. Counterintuitively, the FWC also proposed a rule supported by the diving community to close three goliath grouper spawning…
Why It Matters: If you have ever fished offshore in the Gulf of Mexico from Alabama to Texas, chances are, you found fish near an offshore oil and gas platform. 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….
Why It Matters: Like in the Gulf of Mexico, red snapper are an extremely popular reef fish in the South Atlantic. Unfortunately, a rapidly rebuilding population and poor estimates of the number of red snapper caught and released when fishing for other bottom fish outside of the red snapper mini-seasons are resulting in an “overfishing”…
Why It Matters: The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) provides an opportunity every two years to enhance the Corps ability to provide public recreational activities like fishing and boating, as well as authorizing projects that improve fish habitat, water conservation, coastal resiliency, and curtail the threats of invasive species. WRDA 22, now a part of…
Why It Matters: Red drum are a popular target for recreational anglers, many of whom travel from across the country to pursue these fish. Georgia currently has the most liberal red drum creel and vessel limits of any state in the South Atlantic region. These proposed changes are aimed at decreasing large individual catches and…
Recreational fishing and boating community cites flaws in Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule, asks Agency for an opportunity to provide better solutions. CSF’s Jeff Crane comments.
Why It Matters: The federal Marine Recreational Information Program that collects private recreational angler catch data across multiple species and geographic areas is a useful survey for general trends in fish populations but is not at the scale necessary to effectively survey reef fish anglers in the South Atlantic. As a potential solution, the South…
Why it matters: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)-managed waters account for around 14% of all freshwater fishing in the United States. The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) provides an opportunity every two years to enhance the Corps ability to provide public recreational activities like fishing and boating, as well as authorizing projects that…
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Manager, Pacific States and Firearm Policy Why It Matters: Oregon’s hunters, anglers, and trappers have long played a vital role in funding conservation and wildlife management efforts throughout the state. Under the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), a unique “user pays-public benefits” structure, Oregon’s sportsmen and women generate tens of millions…
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Pacific States Assistant Manager Why It Matters: Oregon’s hunters, anglers, and trappers have long played a vital role in funding conservation and wildlife management efforts throughout the state. Under the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), a unique “user pays-public benefits” structure, Oregon’s sportsmen and women generate tens of millions of dollars…
Highlights Why it matters: Digital mapping and GPS technologies have fundamentally changed how sportsmen and women traverse federal lands, however, inconsistent, and outdated record keeping practices among federal land management agencies hinders the ability of sportsmen and women to fully take advantage of these technologies. The digitization of public easements, access points, rights-of-way, and other mapping…