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Last week, CSP published the latest version of the Modern Fish Act Progress Report, which grades how the federal government is implementing the law in terms of timeliness, stakeholder input and substance.
The Modern Fish Act, authored by Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), was signed by President Trump on December 31, 2018. It is the most significant step forward in federal recreational saltwater fishing management in the 40-plus years since the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) was signed into law. The goals of MSA were to safeguard America’s marine resources from commercial overfishing; foreign fleets, and other challenges. But it never considered the major differences between recreational and commercial fishing. Until now.
There are many milestones in the Modern Fish Act set to unfold on a certain timeline and that require active participation by various government agencies, principally NOAA Fisheries. While there has been some forward progress in implementing the Modern Fish Act, there is still a long way to go. We knew this ship wouldn’t turn on a dime, and we will continue working with NOAA Fisheries, the regional management councils and the states to encourage enforcement of the law the way the Congress intended it.
Visit CSP’s Modern Fish Act Progress Report page to learn where the government is on track and where it is not, http://www.sportfishingpolicy.com/2019-modern-fish-act-implementation-progress-report/.
And please tune into the American Sportfishing Association’s ICAST Online Conservation Seminar series on Monday, June 13, at 3 p.m. EDT to hear firsthand about the victories and the challenges in enforcing the Modern Fish Act so far.
Jeff Angers