April 6, 2014 — NOAA Fisheries has announced plans to develop a national recreational fishing policy — something anglers, industry leaders, scientists and conservationists have been urging for years.
The announcement came during Wednesday’s national Saltwater Recreational Fishing Summit in Alexandria, Va. — the second meeting of NOAA Fisheries leaders and more than 100 representatives of the fishing community.
“Resolving issues facing our fisheries today requires partnerships between managers, scientists and people who enjoy the resource,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “I commit that NOAA Fisheries will actively engage the recreational fishing community, and we will do our part to find cooperative solutions.”
NOAA figures show some 11 million people fish recreationally in saltwater throughout the United States, generating tens of billions of dollars in economic impact and representing one of the agency’s largest organized constituencies. But many of those constituents have felt left out of the agency’s decision making process on how to manage fish stocks, and that more weight has been given to the desires of the commercial fishing industry.
Read the full story at the Miami Herald