Why It Matters: Set to expire at the end of September, the reauthorization of the Farm Bill remains a top priority for many across the country. This includes the sporting-conservation community that supports the conservation programs contained in the Farm Bill’s Conservation and Forestry Titles. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) appreciates the state legislators who…
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: Fishing tournaments benefit communities in multiple ways. Large-scale professional tournaments can have significant economic impacts on communities that surround popular fisheries while simultaneously bringing in nonresidents, resulting in additional funding to state fish and wildlife agencies through license and fishing equipment sales. Smaller and/or youth tournaments can introduce new anglers to the…
May 17, 2023 (Washington, DC) – Yesterday, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) organized and led a Farm Bill Fly-In that brought together key members of Congress and like-minded advocacy partners to discuss their priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill. Joining CSF leaders on Capitol Hill were representatives from the American Sportfishing Association, the Association of Fish and Wildlife…
Why It Matters: The signing of Senate Bill 327/House Bill 983 (Chapter No. 543) into law marks a major milestone for the Old Line State. For three decades, there have not been any increases to the hunting and trapping license fees, but through the signing of this legislation into law, sportsmen and women will continue…
Why It Matters: If enacted, LD 958 would make it illegal to sell or offer for sale painted lead jigs weighing one ounce or less or measuring 2 1/2 inches or less in length beginning September 1, 2024, and illegal to use them beginning September 1, 2026. Given the lack of evidence that painted lead…