Releases – October 11, 2012
On September 14, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its recommendations for budget cuts that include withholding parts of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, a move that would have a significant impact on fisheries conservation and the jobs it supports. OMB’s action was triggered by the failure of the Congress and the Administration to enact a plan to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion, as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011.
“The angling and boating community was shocked to learn that for the first time in its 62-year history, the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund—the backbone of fisheries conservation in the United States—is recommended for a cut under sequestration totaling $34 million,” said Gordon Robertson, vice president of the American Sportfishing Association.
Robertson further said, “This conservation trust fund, established in 1950 with the support of industry, anglers and state conservation agencies, is an outstanding example of what good government should be and is the backbone of the user-pay model of funding conservation in this nation. It is essential that it remain untouched. The sportfishing and boating communities are ready to work with Congress and the Administration to solve this problem.”
The Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950 placed a federal excise tax on all recreational fishing equipment, which manufacturers pay and is then incorporated into the cost of the equipment that anglers purchase. In 1984 the Act was amended to include that part of the federal gasoline fuel tax attributable to motor boat use. The total annual value of the Trust Fund is approximately $650 million. The monies from the fund are apportioned to state conservation agencies for sport fish restoration, boating safety, angler and boater access and other fishing and boating programs.
“When anglers and boaters pay the equipment tax or the fuel tax they are doing so with the understanding that this money is going to a trust fund dedicated – by law – to the resources they enjoy,” said Robertson. “Withholding funds from this essential program at a time when state fishery programs are already struggling to ensure the best quality service to anglers and resource management will only cause fishery resources to suffer even more and cause job losses associated with the loss of recreation fishing boating programs. The sportfishing and boating industries as well as anglers and boaters themselves fail to understand how cutting a user-pay trust fund helps the economy.”
Recreational fishing adds $125 billion each year to the nation’s economy and supports more than one million jobs. Since its inception, the Sport Fish Restoration Act has pumped $7 billion into habitat restoration, access and boating safety programs.
The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund’s older sibling, the Wildlife Restoration Act of 1936, after which the Sportfish Trust Fund was patterned, is slated for a $31 million freeze. That Act is funded by hunters and men and women who engage in the shooting sports and archery, who pay a similar tax to support wildlife restoration. “This level of cuts to conservation programs that pay their own way is unprecedented and all anglers, hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts must speak up to prevent these cuts,” Robertson concluded.
Along with these two cornerstone conservation acts, many other critical conservation funds are also listed for significant cuts. Congress, with the cooperation of the Administration, must address the sequestration schedule and they will not occur until after the elections and possibly not until early 2013 and with a new Congress.
“We encourage all anglers to go to www.KeepAmericaFishing.org for information about when Congress may act and when anglers should speak up to maintain critical conservation funding,” Robertson said.
On the campaign trail, presidential hopefuls rarely talk about recreational fishing or the use of public lands for recreational activities. Now anglers across the nation can read a side-by-side comparison of how the presidential candidates plan to address fisheries conservation and angler access to public waters at www.KeepAmericaFishing.org/youdecide.
KeepAmericaFishing, the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) angler advocacy campaign, posed questions to presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney regarding management of our nation’s fisheries and access to recreational fishing. Each candidate received the same questions except for one that is specific to his tenure as either President or Governor. The questions address issues that impact our nation’s 60 million anglers, ranging from stopping the spread of harmful invasive species to over-reaching closures of waters to recreational fishing as a management tool.
“We asked these questions to inform and empower anglers to be active advocates for the sportfishing community” said ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson. “Anglers represent a huge voting block that can significantly impact the 2012 presidential election. It is vital to the future of sportfishing that anglers are informed and use their vote as a voice.”
KeepAmericaFishing encourages anglers to review the responses and on Election Day vote for the candidate they believe will best advance the nation and the model of conservation that perpetuates healthy fishery resources and access to those public resources.
Read the questions and candidates’ answers at www.KeepAmericaFishing.org/youdecide.
Calling all junior anglers age 9-15 to the Cape Fear River Watch StriperFest Jr. Angler Fishery Restoration Essay Contest! Do you love fishing? Do you want to spend a day out on the Cape Fear River with one of our region’s best fishing guides—fishing in the Cape Fear River’s premier fishing tournament? Then get ready to show what you know about the Cape Fear River and why our fishery is so important to our region!
Cape Fear River Watch is seeking creative submissions to our third annual Cape Fear River Watch StriperFest Junior Angler Contest, sponsored by Wilmington Water Tours. The question posed to entrants is “how a strong and healthy Cape Fear River fishery will benefit our region.” The submission should convey the young angler’s passion for conservation minded fishing as well as their understanding of the special characteristics of the Cape Fear River fishery.
Submissions should be creative and high quality work. Entrants are encouraged to use any medium that appeals to them, including, but not limited to essays, photo journals, video, blog, poster, physical products, works of art, or service projects. Submissions must be completed and submitted to Cape Fear River Watch by December 1, 2012. You can email your submission to kemp@cfrw.us or mail it to Kemp Burdette, 617 Surry St. Wilmington, NC 28412.
Entries will be judged by the Cape Fear River Striper Foundation Board of Directors and one winner will be selected to fish in the 2013 Fifth Annual Cape Fear River Watch Striper Tournament, held January 19, 2013. The winner will fish with an experienced captain/guide and an adult chaperone of their choice that is at least 21 years of age and is approved by the winner’s parent or guardian. The winner will also receive four complimentary tickets to the StriperFest Banquet and Auction held Friday, January 18, 2013. As a special incentive to teachers, Boy & Girl Scout leaders, and others, this year’s contest winner will also earn a sightseeing trip on the Cape Fear River for their class, troop, or group (up to 45 total passengers) on board the Wilmington “Fast Cat” operated by Wilmington Water Tours. The 1st runner up will receive a special trip for four on the Wilmington, exploring the Cape Fear River.
Details can be found online at www.capefearriverwatch.org.
Beginning Oct. 1, coastal recreational fishermen can lose their fishing licenses for violating fishing rules. Recreational fishermen will fall under the same license suspension, revocation and reissuance schedule as commercial fishermen, and that schedule will change Oct. 1, as well. “Fishermen will face longer license suspensions for most violations,” said Louis Daniel, director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. “However, non-resource-related violations will no longer count against suspension or revocation of a license.” Twenty-four violations are considered non-resource violations, which include improperly marked buoys or failure to notify the division of a change of address. The Coastal Recreational Fishing License went into effect in January 2007, but there were no laws pertaining to losing that license for violating fishing rules. Then in 2010, the N.C. General Assembly passed a law directing the Marine Fisheries Commission to adopt such rules. The new law also authorized the commission to modify the existing suspension and revocation schedule. The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission adopted these rules at its November 2011 meeting, following a public comment period. The following shows the current suspension and revocation schedule as compared to the new schedule for violations occurring within a three-year period.
Current: 2 convictions = 10-day suspension; Effective Oct. 1: 2 convictions = 30-day suspension.
Current: 3 convictions = 30-day suspension; Effective Oct. 1: 3 convictions = 90-day suspension.
Current: 4 or more convictions = 6-month revocation; Effective Oct. 1: 4 or more convictions = revocation (eligible to apply for reinstatement after 1 year).
Another rule will change Oct. 1 to allow a notice of suspension or revocation of a license to be made by certified mail. Currently, notice of suspension or revocation must be made in person. Full text of the new rules can be found in an Oct. 1, 2012 supplement to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Rules on the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries website at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/rules-and-regulations.
For more information, contact division Rulemaking Coordinator Catherine Blum at (252) 808-8014 or Catherine.Blum@ncdenr.gov.
