Gulf Deep Sea Corals Deserve Protection

Gulf Deep Sea Corals Deserve Protection

Photo: Gulf deep sea corals, via NOAA Many people would probably be surprised to learn that the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council occasionally takes up issues that are not related to red snapper allocation. Of course I’m being a bit sarcastic, but a lot of the Council’s time does seem to be dominated by […]

Commercial Fishermen — Entrepreneurs, Problem Solvers, and Conservationists

Commercial Fishermen — Entrepreneurs, Problem Solvers, and Conservationists

Commercial fishing in the U.S. provides sustainable seafood to consumers across the world. Our waters historically have provided fertile fishing grounds, and the U.S. has some of the most rigorously managed fisheries in the world, between individual states’ fishing policies, regional management councils, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Commercial fishermen take pride […]

Summit Innovations Can Be Done Under Present MSA

Summit Innovations Can Be Done Under Present MSA

Photo: Secretary Wilbur Ross, Department of Commerce and NOAA Chief Rear Admiral, Timothy Gallaudet, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. The National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Summit sponsored by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries department was held March 28 and 29 at the Westin Crystal City hotel in Arlington, VA. One […]

Hope & Hype At The Recreational Summit

Hope & Hype At The Recreational Summit

On March 28 and 29, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), with the cooperation of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Service (ASMFC), held the 2018 Recreational Fishing Summit in Alexandria, Virginia. Such summits have been held every four years or so. I’ve attended the last few, and in previous years was underwhelmed, as the programs […]

Fishing For Invested Anglers

Fishing For Invested Anglers

Coho Salmon in Oregon’s Tillamook State Forest. Photo courtesy Wikipedia/Oregon Department of Forestry. Anglers from across the nation converged in Washington DC recently, this angler included, for the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Summit to discuss gains and losses that the sportfleet has experienced in recent times. The take-away: recreational fishermen care about the future of […]

Fisheries Management: Checks and Balances

Fisheries Management:  Checks and Balances

Somewhere back in grade school, we all learned that the United States government is composed of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. All three branches have equal standing; none is superior to the others. Article I of the Constitution of the United States vested all legislative power in the Senate and House of Representatives. Article […]