Anglers’ Fight to Stop No-Fishing Zones in California Moves Forward
KeepAmericaFishing 03.14.12
Thanks to overwhelming response from anglers and hunters, the state legislature backed off a resolution to remove Dan Richards from the California Fish and Game Commission.
Your Voice Was Heard!
The California state legislature is no longer considering a resolution to remove California Fish and Game Commission President Dan Richards from the commission.
For the past two weeks, California’s sportsmen and women have let their voices be heard speaking out in support of Richards. An avid angler and hunter, Richards had been unfairly attacked by extreme environmental and animal rights organizations for taking part in a legal hunt in Idaho.
Angler response was overwhelming! Thousands of California sportsmen and women sent messages through KeepAmericaFishing to the state legislature and the commission in support of Richards. Many anglers also attended the March 7, commission meeting to provide comment and show support for Richards.
Commissioner Richards recently contacted KeepAmericaFishing to express his gratitude to the thousands of KeepAmericaFishing advocates for their support.
Why is Retaining Commissioner Richards So Important?
The organizations leading the charge against Richards have a much broader agenda. As a commissioner, Richards has consistently voted on the side of sound science and proven fish and wildlife management. Richards has been a voice of reason throughout the flawed Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) initiative, a controversial program that threatens sportfishing in California, and the businesses and 20,000 jobs that depend on it, by unnecessarily closing large areas of the ocean to recreational fishing.
If they had been successful in their efforts to remove Richards from the commission, these anti-fishing groups would have been one step closer to shutting anglers out of more of California’s best fishing spots.
KeepAmericaFishing does not believe the attacks are over and expects that the next tactic will be an attempt to unseat Richards as President of the commission. Please be ready to voice your support for keeping angler friendly members on the commission.
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.
