The Modern Fish Act is making headway in the Federal legislative process. The good news is, on Dec. 13, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources approved H.R. 200, a bill aimed at improving federal marine fisheries management.
Even better news is that H.R. 200 includes the language from the Modern Fish Act. Signs point to H.R. 200 coming up for a full vote in early March.
The Modern Fish Act is a comprehensive package specifically aimed at addressing the needs of the nation’s 11 million saltwater recreational anglers. It will improve access to America’s federal waters and promote conservation of our natural marine resources. Read more about why bass anglers should support it in a story by B.A.S.S. Conservation Director Gene Gilliland.
Send a message to your Members of Congress today and encourage them to bring this landmark legislation to the floor for final passage. Use this form to send a message to support the Modern Fish Act. Or text FISH to 50457. Here are highlights of the Modern Fish Act.
- Allows for recreational fisheries to be managed using more appropriate management tools.
- Modifies the annual catch limit requirement to allow for more adaptive approaches.
- Requires managers in the southeastern U.S. to perform long-overdue examinations of fishery allocations, based on modern criteria.
- Limits the spread of catch share programs that have negatively impacted anglers and fishing communities.
- Promotes consideration of new data collection methods that could improve fisheries management and conservation.
- Ensures exempted fishing permits help fisheries management and conservation — rather than the status quo which can hinder both.
