Policy News
Sport Fishing magazine interviewed Chris Oliver, who was recently named assistant administrator of NOAA Fisheries. The interview touches on topics such as commercial vs. recreational fisheries management strategies, Magnuson-Stevens Act re-authorization, NOAA’s placement in the Department of Commerce, management of Red Snapper, FY 2018 budget cuts, offshore aquaculture, and catch shares in recreational fisheries. Read the... Read More
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is seeking public input on Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Menhaden. Amendment 3 was initiated in 2015 to address several concerns in the fishery, including the adoption of ecological reference points (ERPs) and a new quota allocation scheme. The ERPs are... Read More
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is pursuing a two-step process to repeal the Obama administration’s 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule and craft a replacement, using a narrower legal definition promoted by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The Trump administration will hold 10 teleconferences and one in-person meeting to solicit input as it prepares... Read More
On September 12, the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard will hold a hearing on the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Panelists will talk about the successes and challenges of MSA from the perspective of commercial, charter, and recreational fishermen. The Committee hearing is scheduled for... Read More
The House Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a hearing on H.R. 3668, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act, SHARE Act, for September 12, at 10:00 am EDT in Room 1334 Longworth House Office Building. Congressmen Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and Gene Green, D-Texas, introduced the bill in the House of Representatives on September 1. H.R.... Read More
On August 1, the Senate Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard held the first of a series of hearings on the successes and challenges of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act (MSA). Chris Oliver, the Assistant Administrator for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) testified before the subcommittee in support of greater... Read More
Drue Winters, AFS Policy Director. E-mail: [email protected] Throughout its nearly 150-year history, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) has had an interest and a role in shaping state and federal natural resource policy. However, the Society’s level of engagement and the willingness of its membership to take positions on important policy issues has varied over time.... Read More
CASS WOTUS Comment Period Extension Request Read More
Recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed to rescind the Clean Water Rule. (Details available on the Federal Register). The Clean Water Rule, which was developed using the best available, peer-reviewed science, clarifies which waters are and are not categorically protected under the Clean Water Act. Specifically, the Clean... Read More
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) advanced S. 1514, The Hunting Heritage and Environmental Legacy Preservation for Wildlife Act (HELP for Wildlife Act), on July 26. The bill contains several provisions important to conservationists, sportsmen, and fisheries managers including re-authorizations of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), the National Fish and... Read More
