KeepAmericaFishing: Help the Recovery of Hurricane Sandy Victims
KeepAmericaFishing 01.23.13
Urge the Senate to approve the Disaster Appropriations Relief Act, including aid for the recreational fishing community
More than two months have passed since Hurricane Sandy decimated a large portion of the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. Since then, it’s become clear that the recovery efforts will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. Homes, vehicles, boats and other personal property were lost or destroyed, and many businesses are struggling to remain open.
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote in the near future on a comprehensive Hurricane Sandy recovery package that will provide resources and personnel for the recovery and your help is needed to see that this aid package passes the Senate.
The losses to the recreational fishing community have been far more extensive than simply missing a few fishing trips. Recreational fishing is a big business that supports coastal communities throughout the region, particularly in New Jersey and New York, where recreational fishing has a $6.3 billion annual economic impact and supports nearly 50,000 jobs.
In addition to assisting displaced individuals and families, the Disaster Appropriations Relief Act, which has already passed the House of Representatives, has several provisions that would help the recreational fishing community, including funds to restore shore-side fishery infrastructure such as marinas and boat ramps; help small businesses like bait and tackle shops recover; and repair damaged fisheries research facilities.
When natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy have struck in the past, Congress has acted swiftly to provide needed federal assistance to affected regions, and must so again.
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.
