The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee voted to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S. 2372), a longstanding priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), on a strong bipartisan vote of 15-5. This landmark legislation is led in a bipartisan fashion by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and CSC Member Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Since 2015 when the concept of Recovering America’s Wildlife Act was first developed, CSF has been spearheading the efforts on…
Read MoreThe recreational fishing and boating community applauds the introduction of the Forage Fish Conservation Act by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Brian Mast (R-Fla.). The legislation and its Senate companion bill (S. 1484) would require federal fisheries managers to account for the role forage fish play in the marine ecosystem when catch limits are set on these small but important fish. “The American Sportfishing Association is grateful to Reps. Dingell and Mast for their leadership on forage fish conservation,” said Mike Leonard, vice president of government affairs for the American…
Read MoreEarlier this week, the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, a historic piece of legislation to proactively fund state-based conservation, was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and CSC Member Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been a driving force behind the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act since its inception as a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources. The Blue Ribbon…
Read MoreAs many as one-third of America’s wildlife species need urgent conservation action. States have identified more than 12,000 at-risk species requiring conservation and monitoring. Among the threats America’s native wildlife face include habitat loss, invasive species, disease and climate change. What it means: Currently, 80% of the funding for state wildlife agencies comes from state hunting and fishing licenses and permits, as well as federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing gear. While this funding model has worked well for…
Read MoreOver the past year, there has been a significant increase in participation and demand for outdoor recreation, which has created challenges and opportunities for the recreational fishing and the broader outdoor recreation industries. Yesterday, the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion, held a hearing to examine the state of outdoor tourism and the recreation industry, including the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses and communities. American Sportfishing Association (ASA) President Glenn Hughes provided testimony on the contributions that…
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