KeepAmericaFishing: New Legislation Attempts to Silence California’s Anglers

Take action against legislation that will deny you a voice in fisheries management and conservation

Two bills (SB 1148 and AB 2402) have been introduced in the California legislature that together will effectively remove recreational anglers from fisheries management and conservation discussions in the state. Take action today to ensure that you can continue to fight for your right to fish.

The Situation

With anti-fishing groups trying to stop you from enjoying the sport that you love, your voice in the regulatory process is more important than ever. SB 1148 and AB 2402 were initially introduced into the California legislature to improve how the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) functions, but special interest groups have succeeded in amending the bills to include provisions detrimental to anglers like you.

Among other things, these two bills will:

Authorize “nonprofit partnerships” between well-financed organizations and the DFG, allowing these special interest groups to further their agendas within the DFG. Many of these nonprofit groups are out to stop recreational fishing under the guise of fisheries management.
Remove the Fish and Game Commission’s regulatory power over marine protected areas and listing of threatened and endangered species and instead put it in the hands of the DFG. This could result in”nonprofit partners” making important decisions that further limit fishing access to public waters without any public forum or transparency in the process.

For more information, read the comments of the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans.

Take Action!

If passed, these two bills will have a significant impact on recreational fishing in California.

They will allow anti-fishing groups to have unchecked influence in fishery management and remove important checks and balances in the policy-making forum.

Send a message to your state Senator and Assembly Member today to ensure that you voice is heard. Click here to take action today!

KeepAmericaFishing

KeepAmericaFishing is the fastest growing community of anglers united with one common goal -- to protect our right to sustainably fish on our nation's waterways. As the voice of the American angler, KeepAmericaFishing works to keep our public resources – our oceans, lakes, rivers and streams – open, clean and abundant with fish.

Across the country, preventing or limiting recreational anglers’ access to public waters fisheries is being touted as a new way to manage fish populations. This unprecedented shift undermines the achievements of proven fisheries management methods that focus on conservation and promote sustainable fishing. As a result, the past 10 years have seen a dramatic increase in bans on recreational fishing from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Texas to Minnesota.

In an effort to combat access restrictions around the country, the American Sportfishing Association launched KeepAmericaFishing to unite the nation’s 60 million anglers under one voice. Through policy, science and conservation, KeepAmericaFishing works to minimize access restrictions, promote clean waters and restore fish populations. With its conservation partners, KeepAmericaFishing works to limit and provide for review and revision science-based closures to areas in which they are clearly beneficial to the health of the fishery.

At KeepAmericaFishing, we are working to give voice to the millions of American recreational anglers who share one thing in common - a passion for fishing.