Why It Matters: The MAPOceans Act introduced last week in the House will require the federal agency with the most U.S. waters under their jurisdiction, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to digitize and map public information about federal fishing and boating restrictions in marine waters and make timely, updated information readily available to anglers, boaters and the navigation industry. Impediments to access comes in many forms, including confusion around regulatory boundaries on federal waters. This bipartisan bill will fix that and is one of many priority pieces of legislation for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) in the 119th Congress.
Highlights:
- NOAA has jurisdictional authority of our nation’s marine fisheries resources from the limit of a state or territorial sea (typically 3 or 9 miles from shore) out to the 200-mile limit of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
- A lot of water – a lot of rules! In addition to the 1.24 million square miles of water in marine protected areas (MPA’s) mostly under their authority, NOAA also manages 460 fish stocks or stock complexes through the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils.
Last week, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Member Congressman Russell Fry (SC) and Congressman Mike Levin (CA) introduced the Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act, also known as the MAPOceans Act. The bill seeks to make it easier and eliminate confusion for public recreation on our nation’s marine and coastal waterways through standardizing, consolidating, and publishing digital data concerning regulations on marine waters under federal management.
“The bipartisan MAPOceans Act will remove confusion about where we can fish and with what gear, which can often create barriers for angler participation on our coastal waters,” said Chris Horton, Senior Director of Fisheries Policy for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “We sincerely thank Representatives Fry and Levin for their leadership in providing more certainty and confidence for America’s anglers and boaters on marine waters.”
The MAPOceans Act will direct NOAA to digitize and make available to the public any access or recreational use restriction on marine waters under the agency’s jurisdiction. These restrictions often include areas closed to fishing or with species specific seasonal closures, allowable gear or bait types, types of propulsion allowed, marine protected areas, etc. From a recreational fishing perspective alone, NOAA’s eight Regional Fishery Management Councils have implemented 46 management plans covering 460 fish stocks or stock complexes that create a mosaic of fishing regulations and restrictions. These regulations are often location specific and can be cumbersome to understand and a barrier to access.
The Senate version of MAPOceans (S. 759) cleared the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation earlier this year. CSF looks forward to working with the bill sponsors in both chambers to see this legislation signed into law.
