CCA commends the Florida Senate in passing SB-10 that will, when implemented, help our coastal and southern estuaries, the Everglades and Florida Bay. With three weeks remaining in the Legislative Session, SB-10 is now in the hands of Speaker Corcoran and the Florida House.  

The newly passed Bill focuses on 31,000 acres of land the state already owns in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Generally referred to as Parcels A-1 and A-2, the Bill proposes using these parcels for greater storage of Lake Okeechobee discharges.  The Bill also directs the purchase or exchange of 3,700 acres of land between Parcel A-2 and Stormwater Treatment Area 5/6, and allows the purchase of additional properties for treatment before the water is discharged into the Everglades.

SB-10 has undergone dramatic revisions since it was filed, and the measure may undergo yet more revisions in the House.  More must be done to protect the Everglades and our estuaries, and we must complete the other restoration projects already underway or scheduled.  CCA Florida also encourages the Legislature to protect Amendment 1 monies and ensure they are put to their intended use. CCA Florida encourages you to raise your voice to Tallahassee by contacting your Representative in support of the measure before it comes to a vote.

Washington, D.C. – April 6, 2017 – The recreational fishing and boating community praised the introduction of a bill that addresses critical challenges facing saltwater recreational fishing at the federal level. Led by Congressmen Garret Graves (R-La.), Gene Green (D-Texas), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.), the “Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017” (Modern Fish Act) would improve public access to America’s federal waters, promote conservation of our natural marine resources and spur economic growth.

“On behalf of America’s 11 million saltwater anglers, we thank Congressmen Graves, Green, Webster and Wittman for championing this legislation to modernize federal recreational fishing management,” said Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Sportfishing Policy. “For decades, the recreational fishing community has been subjected to antiquated federal policies not designed to manage recreational fishing. The time is now to update these policies so families can fully enjoy our nation’s remarkable marine resources and continue a proud American tradition on the water.”

Read more: U.S. Reps. Graves, Green, Webster, Wittman Champion Federal Saltwater Fisheries Reform

Commercial Fishing Collaborative withdraws permit application for catch shares

JEKYLL ISLAND, GEORGIA - A controversial exempted fishing permit (EFP) to initiate a commercial privatization program for at least six species of fish in the South Atlantic was shelved this week after widespread public outcry. The announcement that the South Atlantic Commercial Fishing Collaborative, made up of two sitting Council members and one former member, were withdrawing the EFP was made at the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

“Public sentiment against this EFP was overwhelming, which shows that the angling public is very much aware of these privatization schemes and they’ve had enough of them,” said Bill Bird, chairman of the Coastal Conservation Association’s National Government Relations Committee. “There should be no place for privatization of our public marine resources in the federal fisheries management system, but our fear is that this EFP will be retooled and reintroduced in the future when the noise dies down. Anglers in the South Atlantic will have to remain vigilant.”

Read more: Fish grab scheme put on hold in South Atlantic