Senate approves Wicker’s bipartisan version of Modern Fish Act

Bipartisan, bicameral legislation sponsored by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) received U.S. Senate approval earlier this week to update policies on recreational fishing.

“Passage of the ‘Modern Fish Act’ will boost our conservation efforts and benefit the local economies that depend on recreational fishing,” Sen. Wicker said. “I appreciate the hard work of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this bill passed, but there is still more work to be done. I look forward to continuing our efforts to modernize federal fishing policies on the Gulf Coast and to support our fishermen.”

Sen. Wicker and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) in July 2017 introduced the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act, S. 1520, also known as the Modern Fish Act, as a companion bill to the same-named House bill, H.R. 2023, introduced in April 2017 by U.S. Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Gene Green (D-TX).

Text of S. 1520 points out that “while both provide significant cultural and economic benefits to the nation, recreational fishing and commercial fishing are different activities. Therefore, science-based conservation and management approaches should be adapted to the characteristics of each sector.”

Thus, the proposed measure would encourage regional fishery management councils to update their policies for recreational fishing at mixed-use fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a statement provided by Sen. Wicker’s office, because existing guidelines designed for commercial fishing operations have proven challenging for them to follow and shortened fishing seasons in some instances, according to the statement.

Additionally, the bill would urge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop partnerships that improve its recreational fishing data collection and to incorporate more timely and accurate data from sportsmen, among other provisions, according to the senator’s statement.

The Senate on Dec. 17 amended S. 1520 and approved it by unanimous consent. Among the 17 other cosponsors joining Sen. Nelson are U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Todd Young (R-IN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

H.R. 2023 remains under subcommittee consideration in the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee. The measure has 23 other cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Billy Long (R-MO), and Buddy Carter (R-GA).