March 5, 2014 — The following was released by the offices of Senator Ben Cardin and Senator Mike Crapo:
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Chairman of the Senate Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, and Senator Michael Crapo (R- Idaho ) have introduced a bill to leverage public-private partnerships and engage stakeholders like commercial fisherman, anglers, outfitters and other angling and sportsmen industries to make lasting improvements to the health and sustainability of our nation's fish habitats. Their legislation, The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (NFHCA) authorizes $7.2 million annually for fish habitat restoration and protection projects that are supported by regional Fish Habitat Partnerships.
"Choosing to protect our natural resources is good for our environment and our economy. Right now we need deliberate and targeted action to stem the loss of our precious fisheries resources and millions of related jobs, by ensuring that these important aquatic habitats are better preserved," said Senator Cardin. "Our bill takes a comprehensive approach to stopping the single greatest cause of declining fish populations, by stemming the decline of healthy aquatic ecosystems that are critical to all fish species. We need to encourage healthier habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife as well as safer recreational waters for Americans to swim, boat and fish."
"The legislation we've introduced stems from Senator Cardin's and my shared goals of protecting, maintaining and improving our fish habitats," said Senator Crapo. "Instead of creating new regulations and mandates, our bill fosters partnerships between federal, regional and local stakeholders to work together to promote healthy and sustainable fish populations for our communities."
According to the most recent data available from the National Survey of Fishing , Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/fhw11-qkfact.pdf , in 2011, more than 90 million U.S. residents – 40 percent of all those over age 16 – participated in wildlife-related activities, including fishing, hunting and wildlife watching. These recreationists spent over $145 billion pursuing these activities, contributing to millions of jobs in industries and businesses that support wildlife-related recreation.
More than 700 species of fish can be found in the waters of North America . Fish are a cornerstone species in the ecosystem. Fish help maintain the ecological health and balance of aquatic ecosystems while providing critical sustenance to a wide variety of bird, reptile, and mammal species including iconic American species like Bald Eagles, Grizzly Bears, Great Blue Herons, and Alligators. The greatest threat to native fish species are the ecological impacts of habitat loss and habitat degradation.
Based on the successful wetlands conservation model established by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (NFHCA) will improve the availability of financial and technical resources to support local fish habitat conservation efforts. NFHCA also better coordinates local efforts to restore regional fish habitat to assure that individual efforts will result in the greatest improvements to fish habitat across regional watersheds.
The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act is supported by the American Sportfishing Association, The Conservation Fund, Trout Unlimited, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.
Read the full release at the Water Environment Federation