“The administration, top to bottom, knows that two things drive a successful recreational fishery: access and opportunity. Our tradition in America is for the public to have access to America’s public waters. There are people who don’t think that we should have access to America’s public waters, and that has always been a tension, but thank goodness our tradition is to ensure access to public waters. And then the word opportunity means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, from salt and fresh freshwater perspectives. Reliable seasons to target for families to target healthy public waters fisheries is what keeps people at this ICAST show looking for the for the newest bait, tackle, marine electronics, and hardware. It‘s what keeps people shopping for boats. It’s what keeps the outdoor recreation economy going. If there is not an opportunity to get on the water and and bring your family to fish, you’re probably not gonna buy whatever the outdoors gadget that you wanted. 70% of the boats that are bought in America are purchased for the primary purpose of fishing. One other super important statistic: 90-5% of all boats used in America are built in America.” – Jeff Angers, Center for Sportfishing Policy
CFACT policy analyst and District of Conservation host, Gabriella Hoffman, published three ICAST-themed episodes from her trip to Orlando, Florida, last week. Tune in below!
Photo Credit: Gabriella Hoffman