The recreational fi shing community
is urging Congress not to leave the
progress made on the Modern Fish
Act (MFA) behind. The (MFA) has been
debated for nearly two years, heard
before its respective committees eight
times, passed the Senate Commerce
Committee and passed the House
within a broader Magnuson-Stevens
Act reauthorization bill in July. If
passed, the Modern Fish Act will make
critical updates to federal fi sheries
management policy that fi nally
consider the needs of America’s
recreational fi shing community, which
has been ignored for more than 40
years.
Maverick Boat Group’s president
and co-chair of the Commission on
Saltwater Recreational Fisheries
Management, Scott Deal wrote an
opinion editorial stating, “Because
federal law has never considered the
fundamental differences between
recreational and commercial fi shing
practices, federal fi sheries management
problems facing anglers have been
snowballing for decades. Those problems
are impediments to participation in
sportfi shing. How can we engage the next
generation of anglers when the federal
rules unnecessarily stand in the way?”
The International Game Fish
Association (IGFA) has allocated its
fi rst grant to the recreational angling
community in the Florida Panhandle
from its Worldwide Anglers Relief
Fund (WARF).
The IGFA and its partner, sunglasses
manufacturer, Costa Del Mar, created
the WARF in September 2017. Working
with its partners at the National
Association of Charterboat Operators
(NACO), the IGFA has recently
arranged the transfer of $10,000
from the WARF to aid in the recovery
efforts of the extensive charter fi shing
operations throughout the area.
This brings the total disbursed by
the WARF to recreational angling
associations in the Florida Keys,
Texas, Puerto Rico and the Florida
Now is the time to PASS
the Modern Fish Act
Australian anglers's
habitat help
Australia’s dedicated fi shing
conservation organisation, OzFish
Unlimited, has launched its latest
plan entitled “Seeds for Snapper”,
where hundreds of recreational
anglers will be taking part in a habitat
restoration programme in Cockburn
Sound, an Indian Ocean inlet on the
coast of Western Australia.
The project – the fi rst of its kind
and a collaboration between the
University of Western Australia,
Recfi shwest and Australia’s largest
outdoor retailer, BCF will see anglers
collect and release one million sea
grass seeds back into the waterway to
create a healthy habitat for the highly
prized pink snapper and other fi sh.
For more, visit www.ozfi sh.org.au
Florida region receives
support
NEWS | DECEMBER 2018
The editorial continues, “Support for
the Modern Fish Act is clear, and after
two years of progress, it is time for this
Congress to push the bill across the fi nish
line. As Congress works to wrap up its
legislative business before the holidays,
I hope it will give anglers well-deserved
acknowledgment by passing the Modern
Fish Act to improve the way America’s
fi sheries are managed in federal waters.”
Panhandle to $56,000 to help local
captains and guides recover from
Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, Maria and
Michael, respectively.
Costa’s marketing manager of core
markets, Amanda Sabin said, “Costa
is proud to be a part of this rebuilding
process and helping to get people
back on the water. Recreational
anglers, professional captains, guides
and mates form the backbone of
many coastal communities.”
/www.ozfi
/sh.org.au
