A 2022 proposed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) draconian vessel speed rule would have required anglers and boaters along the Atlantic with vessels 35 feet and longer to travel at 10 knots from shore to as far as 90 miles offshore from Massachusetts to Florida for much of the year to “protect” North Atlantic…
The fundamental necessities for wildlife to persist are food, shelter, and water. Lack of access to any one of these needs impacts individual animal survival and ultimately the persistence of entire populations of wildlife. Ensuring wildlife can reach these needs is a core component of habitat connectivity. Unfortunately, habitat connectivity is compromised in many places…
The 2018 Farm Bill expired in October 2023 and has since received two separate, year-long extensions. However, Congress has yet to pass the next iteration of this important legislation. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is working with Congress to advance a Farm Bill with strong Conservation and Forestry Titles that benefit wildlife, fish, and their habitats…
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) is the principal law governing marine fisheries management in the federal waters of the United States. The MSA was reauthorized in 2007 with legal requirements to end overfishing by 2011 and establish annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AM’s) on every fishery managed by NOAA –…
Over 12,000 offshore oil and gas platforms, or “rigs”, have been constructed across the globe,[ with over 7,000 in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) over the course of the last 70 years. Over time, these structures have been the catalyst for teeming communities of fish and marine life that serve as incredibly important destinations for…
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an always-fatal, progressive, degenerative neurological disease occurring in farmed and free-ranging deer, elk, and moose that is classified to the family of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Presently, state fish and wildlife agencies are forced to divert funds from other conservation projects to perform surveillance and monitoring of CWD within…
Federal public lands are an important destination for many Americans, including those that hunt and fish. Despite their popularity, many federal lands are currently unavailable to the public due to land ownership patterns that preclude hunters, anglers and others from gaining access to areas that could support fish and wildlife-dependent recreation. In response to this…