A View from the Hill: March 2020

A View from the Hill: March 2020

A lot has happened since our last View from the Hill in early November, not the least of which has been a presidential impeachment trial and an on-going global pandemic. But there’s also been news on the federal fisheries front, and here are several highlights. In November, the Senate Commerce Committee held a full committee […]

Released Fish: Neither Discards Nor Bycatch

Released Fish: Neither Discards Nor Bycatch

Bluefish photo by John McMurray Language has power. Although words seem ephemeral, they have the ability to transform how we perceive every part of our world. Just consider the words “used car.” When you first hear them spoken, you might think of some hard-driven clunker sitting on a lot amid dozens of its kind, with […]

Steelhead, Snake River Dams and the Oregon Way

Steelhead, Snake River Dams and the Oregon Way

Whenever I lose faith in government, I default to episodes of the early 2000’s TV hit, The West Wing. I know it’s not reality, but the show has offered me some level of solace when things are going sideways at the national level, and they’re going sideways. From the president’s barbed State of the Union […]

Cod Is Down For The Count

Cod Is Down For The Count

Top photo: Cod such as this one caught by angler Steve Brustein may be a thing of the past unless NOAA implements rebuilding initiatives, says the Conservation Law Foundation Who doesn’t like cod fish? Its white, delicate meat is sold in fish markets and supermarkets, served in restaurants and prepared baked or fried as fish […]

ASMFC Striped Bass Meeting Demonstrates Need For Reforms

ASMFC Striped Bass Meeting Demonstrates Need For Reforms

The first question set the tone of the meeting. In October, 2019, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (Management Board) adopted Addendum VI to Amendment 6 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Interstate Fishery Management Plan (Addendum VI), which was intended to end overfishing and reduce fishing mortality by 18 percent, […]

Florida’s Fishing Future Depends on Science-Based Management

Florida’s Fishing Future Depends on Science-Based Management

Florida has had a reputation for being the “Fishing Capital of the World,” and with good reason. Its sunshine, shorelines and sportfishing opportunities attract anglers from around the world. There are few other places in the world where in one visit an angler can target species as diverse as billfish, bass, snapper and mahi, as […]

We Must Take Action: Support Those Who Support Oceans and Fish

We Must Take Action: Support Those Who Support Oceans and Fish

Top photo: pilot whale with a rescue team from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, FL. The ocean means a lot to a lot of people. Here’s why it means so much to me and how climate change and its impact on fish and habitat fit in. For years I had a scallop recreational fishing license on […]

Striped Bass & Menhaden Headline This Week’s ASMFC Meeting

Striped Bass & Menhaden Headline This Week’s ASMFC Meeting

Good news with menhaden, but it’s likely the Commission will fall short on striped bass Menhaden So, here’s the good news. It is highly likely, after a good 20 years of advocacy by anglers and environmental groups, that we’ll see menhaden managed in the context of its value as a prey species, by as early […]