On April 5, 13 members of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and dozens of Congressional staff liaisons joined the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and the Angling and Boating Alliance for a briefing on reauthorization of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund (part of the Surface Transportation Bill).
The ongoing federal budget debates have resulted in a variety of threats to the Trust Fund, which is vital to the continued successful sportfishing and fisheries and aquatic resource conservation in the U.S.
The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund serves as the backbone for conservation funding in the United States. It is a unique “user pay/user benefits” program that provides a critical funding pool for a diverse set of important state and national recreational fishing and boating programs including fisheries management and habitat conservation, water and boating access infrastructure, aquatic resource education, recreational boating safety, vessel pump-out stations and angler and boater outreach.
Members of ABA, including B.A.S.S., are the American Recreation Coalition, American Sportfishing Association, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Association of Marina Industries, BoatUS, Coastal Conservation Association, Marine Retailers Association of America, National Association of Sate Boating Law Administrators, National Boating Federation, National Marine Manufacturers Association and Trout Unlimited.
For more information, and to become involved, please click here.