Policy News
Last week, President Trump announced the U.S. will exit the Paris Climate Agreement, prompting an outcry from business leaders, state and local governments, and the environmental community. The announcement followed the release of the President’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget proposal to Congress which included sharp cuts to a number of critical programs that fund climate... Read More
This week, President Trump released “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” $4.1 trillion budget request for fiscal year 2018 (FY18) to Congress which largely mirrors the Administration’s Budget Blueprint released earlier this year. The proposal calls for sharp cuts to several agencies that would significantly impact fisheries conservation, research, and management in exchange for increased... Read More
May 9, 2017 — U.S. commercial and recreational fishing generated $208 billion in sales, contributed $97 billion to the gross domestic product and supported 1.6 million full- and part-time jobs in 2015 — above the five-year average — according to NOAA’s Fisheries Economics of the United States report released today. Also out today, the Annual Report to... Read More
As part of our new AFS approach to policy work, the Society recently spent a day in the halls of Congress. In response to on-going efforts to modernize the Endangered Species Act, Tom Bigford and Patrick Shirey met with Legal Counsel and the Marine Policy Fellow in Sen. Booker’s (D-NJ) office and with the Senior... Read More
Whatever your professional fisheries calling, you’ve no doubt been hearing the growing call to add an ecosystem perspective to traditional fishery management. The concept is at least 20 years old and is definitely gaining momentum. Read More
Science is foundational to the American Fisheries Society (AFS) and we strongly support scientific research, science application to management and policy, and the science education of our members and of society. The March for Science, set for April 22, in Washington, D.C., and in various locations around the world, is a non-political event that will... Read More
With the release Thursday of the President’s Budget Proposal, it is clear that federal agency budgets, regulation enforcement, and regional conservation initiatives are in serious jeopardy. [See table below for details of fisheries-related budget cuts.] As interpreted by the Washington Post: “Climate change and ocean research would suffer sharp cuts… a reduction of 16 percent,... Read More
Now, more than ever, our fisheries and aquatic resources and the people who manage them need the support of a strong scientific community. Together we’ve seen the benefits of our work in action—the Wallop-Breaux Sport Fish Restoration Act and Magnuson-Stevens Act transformed fisheries management. Today, as these programs face unprecedented threats, it’s crucial for AFS... Read More
The American Sportfishing Association and Southwick Associates created a new series of one-page infographics for all 435 Congressional districts in all 50 states. The 2017 infographics provide fishing participation and economic data at the Congressional district level. The information in the report and infographics use data from the most recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services’... Read More
By Thomas E. Bigford, Policy Director. One of my AFS roles is as your official liaison to three groups—the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation, The Coastal Society, and the National Fish Habitat Partnership. Though interesting and valuable, those liaison roles have never been defined, as underscored in 2016 when then–AFS President Ron Essig requested liaison... Read More
