Last week, over 250 industry leaders from the recreational fishing and boating community gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Center for Sportfishing Policy’s “Center Focus on Washington” and the National Marine Manufacturers Association’s “American Boating Congress.”
Number One issue for both gatherings: NOAA’s proposed Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) rule. The rule took center stage, dominating discussions both on Capitol Hill and at our advocacy events.
Attendees engaged in insightful dialogue with members of Congress as well as a panel of marine technology experts, with emphasis on advanced technologies aimed at preventing whale strikes. We were also honored to recognize Congressman Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Congresswoman Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) with our Conservation Leadership Awards for their bipartisan efforts supporting the postponement of funding for any VSR rule.
The proposed VSR rule has the potential to significantly impact recreational anglers and boaters, erecting barriers to safe boater access without effectively addressing conservation concerns. Anglers and boaters are America’s original conservationists, and we want to lead efforts to help recover the endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW). While we fully support efforts to protect the NARW, we are committed to advocating for effective solutions that balance conservation and public access.
In addition to the VSR rule, other key issues discussed during Center Focus and ABC included enhancement of recreational infrastructure; enforcement of Modern Fish Act; combating aquatic invasive species, and improving federal fisheries data collections.
CSP and our partners at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) met in late April with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to offer our perspective on whale conservation and public access to public waters. We highlighted the real solution for NARWs: marine electronics technologies.
Knowing that poor science yields poor policy, we await a decision from the White House on NOAA’s disastrous proposed rule. The correct decision would be to withdraw this rule and get NOAA back to the drawing board.
