The Top Five Issues Facing America’s Saltwater Anglers

Certain pieces of legislation can potentially solve issues that anglers are currently facing. Keith Alexander Lee

Whether you’re chasing sailfish or salmon, Washington, D.C. has a hand in your experience and success on the water. Members of Congress set laws and allocate funding for federal agencies, research programs and infrastructure projects. Federal agencies, in particular the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an agency under the National Oceanographic at Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), determines when and where you can fish, what you can fish for, and the gear you are allowed to use.

As we approach the halfway point of the 119th Congress, here are the five biggest issues for saltwater anglers—and a few possible solutions.

State Management of Red Snapper in the South Atlantic

Scientists, anglers and the sportfishing industry all agree that there are more red snapper in the South Atlantic than at any time in recent memory. Instead of rewarding anglers with increased opportunities, NMFS opened harvest for a meager two-day season and proposed a three-month bottomfishing closure for 55 species of reef fish off the northeast coast of Florida each year. The now-withdrawn closure was based on unreliable and flawed data collected by the federal Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP). By NMFS’s own calculations, this program overestimates fishing effort by 30 to 40 percent. 

In the Gulf, where states manage red snapper fisheries, seasons are measured in months rather than days. At least some states have proven they can effectively collect accurate data and lead management while still balancing conservation and access to fisheries. It’s time for NMFS to allow the South Atlantic states (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida) the opportunity to do the same. 

Forage Fish Management

Menhaden are one of the most important food sources for many of our favorite gamefish in the Atlantic and the Gulf. They account for up to 40 percent of the diet of king and Spanish mackerel and 20 percent for redfish in the Gulf, according to a joint study from NMFS and the Universities of Florida and Miami. While recreational fisheries are heavily managed, commercial menhaden fisheries are left largely unchecked. The overharvest of menhaden, which is used in products such as fish oil supplements and pet food, has reverberating impacts throughout the food chain and can be directly attributed to declines in striped bass, cod, and other game fish.

Buffer zones for commercial menhaden fishing have proven effective in reducing fish spills and kills, but the core problem remains unaddressed—current commercial menhaden harvests are unsustainable. One solution lies in the Forage Fish Conservation Act (FFCA), introduced in Congress earlier this year. The FFCA would establish a definition for forage fish in federal waters, account for predator needs in existing management plans, and assess the impact of new commercial forage fisheries on existing fisheries, communities and ecosystems. 

Marine Mammals in the Pacific Northwest

Pinniped predation, primarily caused by California and Steller sea lions, significantly threatens Endangered Species Act-listed salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River. The sea lions concentrate at migration bottlenecks, such as Bonneville Dam, preying on adult salmon and steelhead returning to the basin to spawn. NMFS estimates that total predation by sea lions below Bonneville Dam ranges from 20 to 45 percent of the adult spring chinook return. While predation is not the sole driver of declines in salmon and steelhead, it undermines the effectiveness of conservation efforts and has measurable impacts on recreational fishing seasons in the Columbia River and Puget Sound.

Pacific Northwest states and tribes need increased funding to sustain pinniped management programs, employing non-lethal deterrents and lethal removal of specific problematic sea lions to reduce impacts on salmonid populations and support recreational fishing opportunities.

Shark Depredation

According to a 2022 UMass Amherst study, 77 percent of anglers and guides between 2017 and 2022 experienced shark depredation, or the consumption of a hooked fish before the angler could reel in their catch. While depredation has always existed, the frequency has increased in recent years largely due to recovering shark populations, increased angler activity and complicated management authority between states, the federal government and international fisheries treaties. The rise in depredation creates safety concerns for anglers, lost gear and disappointing fishing experiences. 

The bipartisan SHARKED Act provides a pathway toward achieving balance by directing NMFS to establish a task force to develop strategies to better understand and mitigate shark depredation. 

Read Next: Tracking Our Favorite Gamefish

Conservation Funding

The cornerstone of the American fisheries conservation model is the “user pay, public benefit” program known as the Sport Fish Restoration Program. Authorized under the Dingell-Johnson Act in 1950, the fund collects up to a 10 percent excise tax on the sale of most fishing equipment. These excise taxes are distributed to state, tribal and territory fish and wildlife agencies to support habitat restoration, access improvements and fishing education programs. Since its inception 75 years ago, the fund has generated more than $12 billion for fisheries conservation.  

The current authorization of the Sport Fish Restoration Act expires in late 2026 and a bill to reauthorize this critical program for another five years has been introduced in Congress. Another bill, the Sporting Goods Excise Tax Modernization Act, would close an existing loophole by requiring online marketplaces to collect the excise tax on fishing tackle sold from overseas manufacturers, resulting in tens of millions of dollars being added to the fund. 

Ensuring the future health of the Sport Fish Restoration Fund is paramount to the collective success of the sportfishing industry and recreational anglers. 

Rob Shane is the Public Affairs Manager for the American Sportfishing Association, the trade association for the recreational fishing industry. Based in Northern Virginia, he supports ASA’s communications, outreach and advocacy efforts. 

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