February 15, 2019 — The following was release by NOAA Fisheries:
Today, NOAA Fisheries and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the American Sportfishing Association, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation to cooperate on communications, messaging, and education with regard to sustainable fishing and boating in federal waters, including national marine sanctuaries.
The MOA commits all parties to a series of actions intended to improve communication and engagement around sustainable recreational fishing and boating activities. Commitments include, among others, establishing points of contact, meeting on a regular basis, information sharing, collaborative educational and promotional activities, and working to address barriers to sustainable boating and fishing. The purpose and objectives of the MOA are consistent with the purposes of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to “promote domestic commercial and recreational fishing under sound conservation and management…” The MOA is also consistent with the principle tenets of NOAA Fisheries National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy and planned Agency work to more actively engage the recreational fishing community in 2019-2020. Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, stated, ” I am proud of the work NOAA Fisheries does to provide opportunities and memorable experiences for saltwater anglers everywhere.”
The MOA is in alignment with ONMS strategic goals, which recognize that public support through partnerships is critical to effective protection, sustainable use and enjoyment of sanctuaries, so they may continue to serve as the basis for thriving recreation, tourism and commercial activities.
We welcome the opportunity to talk with you about the MOA and how to best engage with NOAA Fisheries and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Please feel free to contact Russell Dunn, National Policy Advisor on Recreational Fisheries or Grace Bottitta-Williamson, National Recreation and Tourism Coordinator/ONMS, for questions regarding NOAA Fisheries or NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, respectively.
You can also contact GARFO’s Recreational Fisheries Coordinator, Moira Kelly, at 978-281-9218.