President Donald J. Trump announced Sept. 17, in the Rose Garden the Restoring America’s Saltwater Angling and Recreation Executive Order. The order establishes a national policy to elevate marine recreational fishing in federal fisheries management and directs federal agencies to pursue better data and more modern management approaches, strengthen state-federal partnerships, remove unnecessary barriers to access and advance innovative solutions for American anglers. 

The American Sportfishing Association was grateful for the president’s executive order and said federal agencies are now directed, consistent with existing law, to:

• Modernize recreational fisheries data collection by evaluating outdated survey methods, expanding electronic and mobile reporting and incorporating real-time catch, effort and observational data into federal fisheries management

• Strengthen state-federal partnerships and improve the use of state data, including consideration of more precise state recreational catch-and-effort data in federal management decisions

• Improve recreational fisheries economic data so the economic value of recreational fishing, for-hire fisheries and shoreside businesses is more fully considered in federal fisheries management decisions

• Advance technology-based approaches to marine mammal avoidance, including directing NOAA to work with the private sector to integrate new technologies that can improve marine mammal detection and avoidance

• Fast-track artificial reef and habitat creation, including establishing a federal Reef-in-Place Program for eligible offshore structures and streamlining permitting for qualifying artificial reef projects.

• Address shark and pinniped depredation and their impacts on recreational fishing by improving research and coordination among federal and state fisheries managers, anglers and the recreational fishing community and advancing management strategies to reduce harmful interactions.

The order also directs federal agencies to streamline permitting, remove administrative barriers to recreational fishing and habitat projects, improve delivery of Dingle-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration funds and strengthen coordination of habitat restoration efforts.

All of the above is certainly on the wishlist of anyone who as been involved in fishery management over the past 25 or 30 years. I have no idea who on the president’s staff wrote this executive order, but those of us who serve on the various advisory councils owe him or her a big thank you.

Menhaden

The subject of how best to manage menhaden is once again in the news. A large group of conservation organizations want the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to reduce the commercial catch by 50%. Save Our Seafood, which speaks for the processing plant and the boats and crews that bring the fish to the plant in Reedville, Va., claim that there is no science to support the drastic cut in the menhaden catch.

One of the things the conservation groups blame on the commercial harvesting of menhaden is the lack of successful nesting production of ospreys. It seems that osprey young of the year have not been successful of late and the cause of this may be a lack of menhaden for the baby birds to feed upon. Naturally, the Save Our Seafood replies that there is nothing in science to prove this is a fact. Ospreys can eat a variety of fish and if in fact menhaden are scarce, they can find some other prey. And so it goes, back and forth.

I have seen osprey carry any number of different fish. Of course, I have seen them with menhaden, but also bluefish, trout, striped bass and of all things, flounder. Meanwhile, there I sit on the beach with two lines and four baited hooks in the water not catching a darn thing.

I am sure the various conservation groups have been able to raise lots of money by portraying the menhaden industry as raping the waters and killing baby ospreys. Save Our Seafood has been working to get the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to do more studies on menhaden. When the ASMFC meets to decide, it will be interesting to see their verdict.   

In the past, Virginia has refused to go along with any reduction in catch for the factory boats from Reedville. Of course, those were attempts by Virginia people and organizations to place reasonable restrictions on the operations.

When there was a major fish spill of dead menhaden on the beach at Virginia Beach, that did nothing to attract customers to the restaurants, hotels or motels. Those associations wanted to move the menhaden boats one mile off Virginia Beach. That bill never made it out of committee.

This time, we have a different situation. The ASMFC has the authority to halt all menhaden fishing in Virginia if the commonwealth fails to follow the regulations put forth by the group. I have said before the last time Virginia recognized a federal authority, the capital was in Richmond. 

On a personal note, I was there and I was defeated by the old-school politics. I await the ASMFC decision and Virginia’s response.