Boating Industry Supports Fisheries Reform

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an exclusive online interview with the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), says recreational anglers have been "overlooked" by federal law and regulatory restrictions.

In the Spring 2014 digital edition of RFA's Making Waves, Dammrich says reduced recreational access to coastal fisheries has had a major negative effect on the recreational boating industry at all levels, explaining how loss of fishing opportunities for anglers "impacts production, jobs, profitability and reduces the boating industry's contribution to the national economy."

"The recreational boating industry is unique in that 93% of the boats sold in the United States are actually built in the United States by American companies and an American workforce," Dammrich told RFA. "When government regulations negatively impact the public's ability to fish or boat it has a direct effect on thousands of U.S. jobs and that is a strong message for Congress."

A non-profit, grassroots political action organization established in 1996 specifically to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs and ensure the long-term sustainability of U.S. saltwater fisheries, RFA has led the federal charge to reform the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (MSA) on behalf of recreational fishing interests nationwide. 

RFA's efforts to keep fishermen fishing in U.S. coastal waters have led to two national rallies in Washington DC in 2010 and 2012, as well as bipartisan efforts to amend federal law.  However, heavy pressure by environmental lobbyists have essentially stalled MSA reform efforts in Congress, forcing undue economic hardship on the recreational boating and fishing community. 

"We fully support working towards building healthy, sustainable fisheries, but there has to be reasonable access for recreational fishing and that is what has been overlooked under current federal law and regulations," Dammrich said in his Making Waves interview, while praising RFA's efforts to represent the recreational fishing community on Capitol Hill.   

"The RFA was right, there's no mistaking that," said Dammrich, adding "recreational fishermen and the industry are now fighting an uphill battle to fix the mistakes of the past."

Read the full interview with NMMA's Thom Dammrich, and get news, information and opinion pieces geared towards saltwater anglers and the recreational fishing industry at http://issuu.com/recreationalfishingalliance/docs/spring_2014_e-news.

Learn more about RFA at www.joinrfa.org or find us on Facebook!

CONTACT: Jim Hutchinson, 888-564-6732, [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140325/DC90372

SOURCE Recreational Fishing Alliance