CCA News
Check out the CCA Newsroom for the latest federal fishery news
from the Gulf of Mexico, the South Atlantic, the Atlantic states and
the Pacific Northwest and to send your comments and questions

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2010

• Gulf anglers finally catch a break - Aug. 24, 2010
  A fall red snapper season is in the works thanks to a vote of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council at its meeting last week in Florida. The extension is designed to give recreational anglers who might have missed out on the 53-day season due to closures associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill a chance to fish.
   

• Governor Jindal Says Go Fish! - Aug. 6, 2010
  Saltwater recreational fishing reopened in the vast majority of Louisiana’s state waters three weeks ago, and it’s time for anglers to return to the water with their families and friends, according to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. The governor joined several representatives of the recreational fishing community on a fishing trip Wednesday, July 28 in the Gulf of Mexico south of Houma, Louisiana, catching a variety of popular sport fish.
   

• Sportfishing and Boating Communities Continue to Call for Public Access in New National Ocean Policy - July 21, 2010
  Over the past year, the recreational fishing and boating community provided substantial input to the Task Force, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and advocated that the social, economic, public health and conservation benefits of sustainable use of our nation’s public resources receive priority consideration in the new coastal and ocean management policy.
   

• Sportfishing Community Applauds Legislation to Improve Federal Marine Fisheries Management System - July 15, 2010
  Today, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) introduced legislation designed to safeguard the strong conservation standards of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) while addressing a growing crisis within the federal marine fisheries management system.
   

• Mapping a Road to Recovery - June 24, 2010
  CCA meeting with Senate Democrats emphasizes need for habitat restoration.
   

• Council appointments a step forward for anglers - June 24, 2010
  The 2010 regional fishery management council appointments released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Commerce gave an indication that federal officials are paying attention to the concerns of recreational anglers.
   

• CCA outlines plans for oil spill recovery in meeting with Sen. Richard Shelby
  June 21, 2010
  In a meeting with U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Coastal Conservation Association Alabama called on BP and the federal government to support plans for habitat restoration and construction of a saltwater fish hatchery/research center to reverse damages to Gulf marine resources as quickly as possible.
   

• Gulf Council clears way for extension of red snapper season - June 17, 2010
  In response to a request from Coastal Conservation Association, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has approved an emergency rule that paves the way for the recreational red snapper season to remain open past July 24 if the quota is not taken due to the oil spill.
   

• ASMFC Finally Cuts Bait - May 11, 2010
  At its meeting last week in Washington DC, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) directed its Menhaden Technical Committee to develop new options for managing menhaden more like a critical forage species than a fish to be industrially harvested. A move that many East Coast anglers would say is long past due.
   

• ASMFC Continues Effort to Increase Commercial Bass Harvest -
  May 7, 2010
  Anglers will soon have the opportunity to comment on a new effort to increase the coastal commercial harvest of striped bass by 20 to 50 percent, after the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Striped Bass Management Board voted this week to send the proposal out for public hearing.
   

• Conservationists prepare for oil spill response - April 30, 2010
  In response to the tragic rig explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Coastal Conservation Association chapters along the Gulf Coast have offered assistance to state agencies as they enact plans for clean-up efforts.
   

• Reallocation Is the Answer - April 26, 2010
  NOAA Fisheries announced a perplexing paradox today that speaks to the flaws in the federal fisheries management system. In the release, NOAA Fisheries declared both an increase in the overall total allowable catch of Gulf red snapper in 2010 and the shortest recreational red snapper season on record, at the same time.
   

• Anglers Cautiously Optimistic After Recreational Fishing Summit - April 21, 2010
  Outdoorsmen were out in force at the nation’s capital last week as two events in Washington DC were dedicated to how this country manages its wild and natural resources.
   

• EDF raises stakes in catch share lawsuit - April 9, 2010
  Seeking to defend a controversial catch share program for Gulf grouper, the Environmental Defense Fund has been allowed to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Coastal Conservation Association in federal district court that challenges the adoption and implementation of Amendment 29 to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan.
   

• CCA Comments to NOAA Fisheries Service Opposing Haugen Exempted Fishing Permit - March 8, 2010
  Coastal Conservation Association believes the enforcement issue alone should be a permanent deterrent to the reintroduction of any fish trap gear in the Gulf of Mexico and urges NOAA Fisheries Service to reject this application for an exempted fishing permit.
   

• Coalition seeks to avoid fisheries management “train wreck” - Feb. 24, 2010
  Passage of the 2006 Magnuson-Stevens Act, the overarching law that manages America’s marine fisheries, revealed crippling deficiencies within the agency charged with implementing the law.
   

• CCA Continues Advocacy for Harvest Reform, Recovery of Oregon’s Salmon Runs - Feb. 11, 2010
  “The changes made by the Attorney General’s office do not reflect the intent of the initiative, which is to end the non-selective over-harvest of Oregon's native fish runs while maintaining a healthy commercial salmon fishing industry.
   

• ASMFC Takes Wrong Turn on Striped Bass - Feb. 10, 2010
  After hearing a litany of significant concerns about the health of the striped bass population presented by its own Technical Committee and by law enforcement personnel, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Striped Bass Management Board did the last thing anyone expected.
   

• Council action on Gulf red snapper signals need for reallocation - Feb. 10, 2010
  The reward for decades of sacrifice announced at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting this week is a good news/bad news scenario for recreational anglers.
   

• Fish trap proposal rejected by Gulf Council - Feb. 4, 2010
  Like a bad penny, a proposal to re-introduce fish traps as an alternative to longline gear in the Gulf grouper fishery turned up before the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in December, outraging conservationists and fisheries management veterans who had fought to banish the destructive gear from the Gulf back in the 1990s.
   

• CCA Mourns Passing of Walter Fondren - Feb 1, 2010
  The conservation community lost one of its true visionaries with the passing of Coastal Conservation Association founder Walter W. Fondren III last week in Houston.

2009

• CCA Hails Breakthrough on Catch Share Management - Dec. 18, 2009
  Coastal Conservation Association applauds the U.S. Congress for recognizing the need to address impacts to recreational angling as a result of the U.S. Catch Share Policy.
   

• Fish Trap Proposal Turns Back the Clock on Conservation - Dec. 10, 2009
  An unusual alliance of environmental groups and commercial longliners is exploring the use of controversial fish traps in the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery, leaving long-time participants in federal fishery management issues surprised at the re-emergence of the highly destructive gear.
   

• CCA Benefits from KBR Master of the Green Tournament - Nov. 24, 2009
  Coastal Conservation Association is proud to again be one of the beneficiaries of the third Master of the Green Charity Golf Tournament, an annual event organized by KBR to support educational, environmental and health organizations.
   

• CCA urges states to resist flawed federal policies in Gulf - Nov. 10, 2009
  Anglers cite lack of faith in federal catch share management of red snapper, grouper
   

• ASFMC Denies Increase in Commercial Striped Bass Harvest - Nov. 3, 2009
  Anglers rally to defeat proposal for commercial sector to kill more fish
   

• CCA to Testify Before Senate Committee on Oceans Policy - Nov. 2, 2009
  Committee seeks CCA’s input on role for recreational fisheries in ocean, coastal stewardship 
        - CCA Testimony on Oceans Policy - pdf file
   

• Collaborative letter points out deficits in data collection - October 29, 2009
  Unlikely combination of groups takes a stand for recreational angling
        - Recreational Data Collection Letter to Dr. Jane Lubchenco - pdf file
   

• CCA Opposes Proposed Rollover of Commercial Harvest - October 29, 2009
  Anglers highlight important warning signs for the conservation of Atlantic striped bass
   

• CCA Names New President - October 27, 2009
   

• Gulf Governors Stand Up for Recreational Angling - October 22, 2009
  States unite to request feds better protect citizens’ access to public resources
        -  Letter from the Gulf Governors to Secretary Locke - pdf file
   

• Federal managers shut down another Gulf fishery - October 21, 2009
  Decision on Gulf amberjack shows federal management on brink of breakdown
   

• CCA Questions Obama Administration’s Ocean Policy - October 15, 2009
  Task Force omission of recreational angling a glaring flaw
   

• CCA Applauds U.S. Decision on Bluefin Tuna - October 15, 2009
  NOAA Administrator announces support for strongest possible conservation measures
        - Letter from the U.S. Department of Commerce to CCA - pdf file
        - Letter from the U.S. Department of Interior to CCA - pdf file
   

• Conservationists Encouraged by Fisheries Amendments - October 13, 2009
  Angler concerns over catch shares, aquaculture gaining traction
   

• CCA Files Lawsuit to Stop Gulf Grouper Giveaway - Sept. 28, 2009
  “Fundamentally flawed” catch share program a threat to angling
   

• Conservationists call for U.S. action to save bluefin tuna - Sept. 25, 2009
  International impasse leaves bluefin on the brink
   

• Anglers call for exit strategy on red snapper disaster - Sept. 25, 2009
  CCA seeks guidelines for opening areas, disaster relief for impacted businesses
   

• Cummins Resigns as CCA President - September 11, 2009
   

• NOAA Abandons Recreational Anglers - August 31, 2009
  Approval of grouper giveaway pushes recreational anglers to the brink
   

• CCA Discussion Document Ends in Success - August 12, 2009
  Controversial paper accomplished goal by shining light on red snapper
  management failures
   

• NOAA catch-share program threatens recreational angling - August 7, 2009
  CCA questions federal program of resource giveaways
        - CCA Catch Shares Briefing Document - pdf file
   

• 3,000 Ghost Nets to Disappear - July 1, 2009
  $4.5 million federal grant to speed removal of derelict fishing gear from Puget Sound
   

• CCA Calls for Balanced Approach to Red Snapper Crisis - June 4, 2009
  Unprecedented fisheries disaster in South Atlantic needs calculated response
   

• Texas Outdoor Writers Recognize CCA/Valero Youth Program - May 1, 2009
  Program sponsored by Valero Energy Corp. seeks to bring conservation into classroom
   

• Changing of the Guard - March 31, 2009
  CCA reorganizes to prepare for more growth.
   

• New red snapper study offers signs of hope - February 25, 2009
  Research indicates red snapper stocks may be in better shape than previously thought.
   

• Short-term gain, long-term loss - February 2, 2009
  Gulf Council tackles longlines, but fumbles future of grouper fishery.
   

• Study reveals economic reality for Gulf grouper - January 28, 2009
  CCA-funded study shows value of 100 percent recreational allocation
   

• Process or Proclamation? - January 7, 2009
  From the South Atlantic to the western Pacific, federal marine management is a study in contrasts.

2008

• Court Ruling Confirms Rule of Science
   

• CCA Calls for Denial of Longline Permits
   

• Alabama closes door on open-loop LNG
   

• Recreational angling secured by Presidential order
   

• Assessment review moves summer flounder closer to finish line
   

• Center for Coastal Conservation sets sail at ICAST
   

• Bluefin on the Brink
   

• CCA Adds Advocacy Expertise in the Pacific Northwest
   

• CCA Testifies Before Congress against Fish Pirates

2007

• President Orders Game Fish Status for Red Drum, Striped Bass
   

• Recreational Fishery Hijacked
   

• Conservation Zones Spared
   

• Summer Flounder - The Price of Mismanagement
   

• CCA and Valero Partner in Conservation
   

• CCA Kicks Off Next Phase in Red Snapper Recovery
   

• Council Foils Backdoor Bid by Commercial Fishing Industry
   

• CCA Cleanup Project Wins National Recognition
   

• Gulf Council mandates 74% bycatch reduction for shrimp fleet
   

• Local Leaders Set to Guide Washington, Oregon Conservation Efforts
   

• Billfish Conservation Under Assault
   

• CCA Advocacy Team Adds Expertise
   

• CCA Applauds Shell Decision on LNG
   

• CCA Expands to the Pacific Northwest
   

• Federal Judge: Fisheries Service has failed red snapper
   

• Red Snapper - Federal Fisheries Management Failure
   

• Coastal Conservation Association wins IGFA Conservation Award
   

• Swordfish recovery a victory in the making