WASHINGTON, D.C. — The executive branch of the federal government recently issued executive orders on fishing and hunting, according to several news release.
On Sept. 18, President Donald Trump released “Restoring America’s Saltwater Angling and Recreation” to establish “a national policy to elevate marine recreational fishing in federal fisheries management and directs federal agencies to pursue better data and more modern management approaches, strengthen State-Federal partnerships, remove unnecessary barriers to access and advance innovative solutions for American anglers,” according to a news release.
Jeff Angers, president of Center Sportsfishing Policy, praised the “historic recognition.”
“By prioritizing better data, stronger state partnerships and modern management approaches, President Trump’s order builds on our conservation gains creating a path to more reliable access and opportunity in America’s oceans,” Angers stated.
The American Sportfishing Association thanked Trump for his “decisive action” Glenn Hughes, president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association, stated. “This Executive Order will have long-term benefits for the sportfishing industry and America’s 15.5 million saltwater recreational anglers.”
Under the Executive Order, federal agencies must:
Modernize recreational fisheries data collection by evaluating outdated survey methods, expanding electronic and mobile reporting and incorporating real-time catch, effort and observational data into federal fisheries management;Strengthen State-Federal partnerships and improve the use of state data, including consideration of more precise state recreational catch-and-effort data in federal management decisions;Improve recreational fisheries economic data so the economic value of recreational fishing, for-hire fisheries and shoreside businesses is more fully considered in federal fisheries management decisions;Advance technology-based approaches to marine mammal avoidance, including directing NOAA to work with the private sector to integrate new technologies that can improve marine mammal detection and avoidance;Fast-track artificial reef and habitat creation, including establishing a federal Reef-in-Place Program for eligible offshore structures and streamlining permitting for qualifying artificial reef projects, andAddress shark and pinniped depredation and their impacts on recreational fishing by improving research and coordination among federal and state fisheries managers, anglers and the recreational fishing community and advancing management strategies to reduce harmful interactions.
“The order also directs federal agencies to streamline permitting, remove administrative barriers to recreational fishing and habitat projects, improve the delivery of Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration funds, and strengthen coordination of habitat restoration efforts,” the news release stated.
Angers credited Trump with his executive order.
“President Trump is sending a clear message that America’s saltwater anglers matter. Better data, modern management and stronger state partnerships can deliver what anglers and coastal communities have needed for years: healthier public fisheries and more reliable access to them,” Angers continued.
At the same time, Trump is looking at the MAPOceans Act for his potential signature. The bill, if signed into law, would direct federal agencies “to modernize accessibility to saltwater recreational fishing regulations and marine waters navigation information,” a news release stated.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership is celebrating the passage of the Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act.
“America’s vast offshore waters and diverse, federally managed saltwater fisheries offer incredible angling opportunities, but these experiences can be hampered by complex regulations and difficulty accessing necessary place-based information,” Joel Webster stated in the news release.
Webster is the chief conservation officer for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
“The MAPOceans Act ensures a simpler way to fish and boat with the confidence that site-specific rules and regulations are being followed, and enables expanded fishing opportunities by digitizing information to ensure that anglers can more easily locate the information they need. TRCP joins America’s sportsmen and women in thanking Senators King and Cruz, and Representatives Fry and Levin, for championing this bipartisan, access-oriented legislation,” he stated.
MAPOceans digital records will include:
Waterway Status: Which waterways are open or closed to entry or watercraft, low-elevation aircraft, or diving.Propulsion Limits: Geographic areas of waterways with restrictions on motorized propulsion, engine horsepower, or gasoline fuel.Vessel Restrictions: Rules detailing which types of watercraft — such as motorboats, personal watercraft, airboats, or non-motorized boats — are permitted in specific areas.Fishing Boundaries: The location and geographic boundaries of fishing restrictions on recreational fishing, including full or partial closures, no-take zones, and fishing restrictions within or surrounding marine protected areas.Gear and Bait Regulations: Fishing rules concerning specific types of equipment or bait, such as mandates or restrictions on the use of circle hooks, descending devices, and trolling, according to the news release.
In another executive order, Trump signed two executive orders recognizing America’s hunting heritage.
The “Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage” executive order “directs federal agencies to expand public access to hunting and outdoor recreation, encourage hunter recruitment, increase wildlife management efforts, and support game meat donation programs, with the stated goal of strengthening America’s hunting traditions and conservation practices,” according to a news release from Ducks Unlimited.
“Hunters have been our nation’s most ardent conservationists for generations, and it’s terrific to see President Trump publicly recognize that in the White House Rose Garden,” DU CEO Adam Putnam stated. “These Executive Orders are an acknowledgment of hunters’ longstanding contributions to conservation, hunting access, sound waterfowl science, and hunter education. Our proud hunting heritage has been woven into the fabric of our great nation’s identity for 250 years, and this sort of commitment will help ensure it remains that way for future generations.”