KRSA supports the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act

The Kenai River Sportfishing Association supports the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act (S. 1520) and encourages Senator Lisa Murkowski and  Senator Dan Sullivan to sign on as co-sponsors. The bill fixes major problems in how the federal government approaches recreational marine fisheries management. Unfortunately, the existing legislation in the Magnuson-Stevens Act does not adequately differentiate between commercial and recreational fishing. The Modern Fish Act would correct this problem and provide a set of management tools better suited for recreational fishing.

The bipartisan Modern Fish Act will accomplish the following:

• Allow for recreational fisheries to be managed using more traditional and appropriate sportfishing management tools.
• Modify the annual catch limit requirement to allow for more adaptive management approaches.
• Promote consideration of new data collection methods that could improve fisheries management and conservation.

The Modern Fish Act would provide anglers more access and opportunity while maintaining long-standing conservation goals. Nothing in the Modern Fish Act undermines the sustainable management or fisheries conservation embedded in the Magnuson-Stevens Act. It simply brings parity to millions of saltwater anglers in a management system designed primarily for commercial fisheries.

For full text of the bill, click here: https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/s1520/BILLS-115s1520is.pdf