MODERNIZING MANAGEMENT AND EXPANDING PUBLIC ACCESS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to modernize Federal fisheries management, empower recreational industries, and eliminate unnecessary restrictions on American boaters and anglers. The Order reduces administrative burdens by directing the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Interior to initiate actions to suspend, revise, or rescind regulations that overly burden boaters, anglers, and outdoor businesses. Relevant agencies will also seek to transition to multi-year permitting for compliant charter operators and outdoor businesses, with a standard presumption of renewal.
The Order modernizes fisheries science by directing the Secretary of Commerce to transition from mail-in surveys to mobile electronic catch reporting apps, improving data accuracy and preventing improper access restrictions on anglers; mandating a 5-year strategic plan to integrate recreational economic data into seasonal quota decisions; and calling for the development of a real-time depredation reporting protocol via mobile app. The Order directs the Secretary of Commerce to launch pilot programs for depleted stocks, including Atlantic Striped Bass, and streamline applicable Trust Fund projects to directly boost fish populations.
The Order promotes healthy habitats by directing the Secretary of the Interior to create the Federal Outer Continental Shelf Reef-in-Place Program to use decommissioned oil and gas platforms to support artificial reefs; directing the Make America Beautiful Again (MABA) Commission to establish a Restoration Coordination Working Group to streamline habitat restoration efforts and ensure efficient use of Federal resources across agencies; and directing the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of the Interior, along with the United States Trade Representative to remove barriers to sustainable shark fisheries.
ELEVATING RECREATIONAL FISHING IN NATIONAL POLICY: President Trump is committed to removing unnecessary restrictions on saltwater anglers, offshore boaters, and charter operators in order to enhance domestic…