The Sportfishing Community’s Position

There is a fundamental difference between a family enjoying a day's fishing and a commercial fishing crew fishing for profit. This point is often overlooked by those who advocate for no-fishing zones. Conservation organizations, angler groups, the sportfishing industry and others strongly support both conserving our fish and waters while protecting the public's right to access all areas along our nation's coastlines and to enjoy the sport of fishing. These two concepts are compatible.

Many current proposals to restrict recreational fishing are not based on sound scientific evidence. Every angler on the water today is governed by a strict set of regulations that have been proven to conserve fish and their habitats.

Occasionally these regulations do include well-defined, scientifically-based closed areas which are supported by anglers. However, the angling community is not likely to support no-fishing zones when other less drastic, yet equally effective options are available. These bans on fishing not only adversely affect the recreation of 40 million anglers and their families, but also have significant economic impacts on businesses and communities that depend on recreation and tourism.

The sportfishing community is developing a program to achieve greater balance in the process of closure designation, including better consideration of the science, and a more balanced and thoughtful approach so that sportfishing prohibitions are limited to areas in which they are clearly beneficial to the health of the fishery.

Fishing Facts

• 93 percent of Americans support legal recreational fishing.
  
  
• Anglers spend over $45 billion annually on their sport in the U.S., supporting over 1 million jobs.
  
  
• Commercial fishing operations are responsible for 97 percent of all marine fish landed; recreational anglers land only 3 percent.
  
  
• According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), only 8 percent of marine fish stocks are actively being overfished. Most other species are on the road to recovery.
  
  
• Signed in 1995, Presidential Executive Order 12962 directs federal agencies to promote and protect sportfishing opportunities.
  
  
• Many environmental groups are pushing to restrict public access in anywhere from 5-20 percent of all ocean areas.