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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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2011

  • Economics Make the Case for North Carolina Gamefish Bill - April 18, 2011
    North Carolina has the opportunity to increase the economic impact of fishery management to the entire state with a single bill - H.B. 353, a bill to make striped bass, red drum and speckled trout gamefish.
     

  • Governors Go to Bat for Longer Red Snapper Season - April 14, 2011
    Red snapper season in the Gulf is just around the corner, and if Gov. Rick Perry and other Gulf state governors have their way, it will be a bit longer than anyone expected.
     

  • Sector Separation a Growing Threat to Recreational Red Snapper Season - April 13, 2011
    More light is being shed on the negative impacts of separating the recreational angling sector into "private boat angler" and "charter/for-hire" segments during the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting  this week in Alabama.
     

  • Despite CCA opposition, advisory panel takes step toward catch shares - April 7, 2011
    “The days-at-sea program is being sold as a benefit for conservation, data collection and management, but all of those things can be achieved by means other than catch shares and sector separation,” said Bird. “Additionally, the Council could help the entire recreational sector and not just the charter and headboat operators by reallocating the red snapper fishery properly in the first place."
     

  • CCA Texas announces new artificial reef off Port Mansfield - March 31, 2011
    The CCA Texas Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT) program continues to pursue its aggressive goal to develop reefing projects in state waters all along the coast and has announced plans to drop 4,000 concrete culverts in a designated 160-acre reefing site off Port Mansfield this summer.
     

  • Menhaden Management Finally Begins - March 24, 2011
     ALEXANDRIA, VA – For the first time ever, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission took steps to rein in the industrial harvest of menhaden and begin the process of managing the menhaden fishery. If adopted, the measures proposed today by the Menhaden Management Board would lead to a reduction of menhaden harvest in both the reduction and bait fisheries.
     

  • South Atlantic Council Votes Down Catch Shares - March 11, 2011
    Recreational anglers are applauding the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s decision today to “terminate all work relative to catch share development in Amendment 21,” the Comprehensive Catch Share Amendment.
     

  • CCA Testifies on Magnuson-Stevens Implementation Problems -
    March 8, 2011
    In response to a growing chorus of frustration, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing today before the Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee on implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
     

  • CCA calls on South Atlantic Council to manage for the future - March 4, 2011

    As part of its ongoing effort to encourage the federal fisheries management system to overhaul the way it views the nation’s marine resources, Coastal Conservation Association is urging the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to break with the failed policies of the past and chart new management plans for a series of important recreational fisheries.
     

  • CCA habitat program targets Texas mid-coast - March 3, 2011
    Coastal Conservation Association has announced plans for a $100,000 reef project off the Texas mid-coast, funded by CCA Texas, CCA National’s Building Conservation Habitat Program and Shimano, in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Artificial Reef Program.
     

  • Annual Catch Limits: Unnecessary Limits and Limited Catch - Feb. 18, 2011
    A three-day workshop on annual catch limits (ACLs) sponsored by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that concludes this week leaves very little hope that the recreational sector will find a way to mitigate the negative impacts of ACLs without a legislative fix to the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
     

  • Caught up in Catch Shares - Feb. 16, 2011
    Much has been made about the catch share issue in recent months. Catch shares are a poorly understood issue that has been made more complicated by an absolute avalanche of mistruths, half-truths, and outright lies swirling about it in fishing chatrooms and blogs across the country.
     

  • Scientists to Explore ACL dilemma - Feb. 14, 2011
    A workshop hosted jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the regional Fishery Management Councils and nationally recognized experts this week will give the first opportunity to convey to federal managers the need to mitigate the severe negative impacts of annual catch limit (ACL) requirements on the recreational sector.
     

  • Gulf Council begins to act on call for reallocation - Feb. 11, 2011
    T    he Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has taken a long-awaited first step toward addressing outdated allocations between the commercial and recreational sectors in the grouper and red snapper fisheries.
     

  • Anglers concerned over Gulf rig removals - Feb. 9, 2011
    STATEMENT OF COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION AT THE FEBRUARY 2011 MEETING OF THE GULF OF MEXICO FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL:
    The oil and gas production rigs and structures of the Gulf of Mexico are generally regarded as one of the largest man-made artificial reef in the world, providing habitat to dozens of species of finfish and other marine life, many of which are highly structure dependent.  After years in the marine environment, the structures support a significant and important biomass.  
     

  • NOAA Fisheries Set to Close Another Vital Fishery - Jan. 25, 2011
    Federal fisheries managers are set to close another popular recreational fishery in the South Atlantic in the latest example of how chronic lapses in science and data-collection are wreaking havoc on the recreational angling sector.

2010

  • Governor Jindal, CCA & Shell Announce New Partnership to Benefit Louisiana’s Coast - Dec. 14, 2010
    Today, Governor Bobby Jindal joined the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and Shell Oil Company to announce a new public-private partnership – between the recreational angling community, private businesses and the state – to assist in CCA’s ongoing Building Conservation Habitat Program.
     

  • NOAA grants reprieve to South Atlantic anglers - Dec. 3, 2010
    The rollercoaster of red snapper management in the South Atlantic took yet another turn this week when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a six-month delay in implementing large-scale closures to all bottom fishing as a management measure to recover red snapper stocks.
     

  • Recreational sector stands united against sector separation - Nov. 10, 2010
    If the public comment period at the Sector Separation Workshop hosted by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is any indication, recreational anglers are united against any proposal to separate the recreational sector into for-hire/charter and private boat angler categories.
     

  • Fisheries managers take huge step toward righting allocations - Nov. 10, 2010
     T    he Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Committee met jointly today, and in response to a request from Coastal Conservation Association, voted to begin an analysis of the scup fishery to determine whether a modification of the current allocation is needed.
     

  • Conservationists praise ASMFC decision on striped bass - Nov. 9, 2010
    After months of intense debate, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) announced today that it has denied a proposal to increase the commercial harvest of striped bass by up to 50 percent.
     

  • Anglers Evaluate NOAA Catch Share Policy - Nov. 4, 2010
    After months of intense debate, today’s official release of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations’ (NOAA) Catch Share Policy provides recreational anglers with two key elements: a framework to redistribute the benefits of harvesting the nation’s marine resources; and a commitment that catch shares have no place as a management tool for private recreational anglers.
     

  • Puget Sound Crab Decision a Victory for Recreational Crabbers - Oct. 1, 2010
    The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to bring more fairness to the Puget Sound Dungeness fishery by adopting "Option A" for its new Puget Sound Crab policy. This long overdue policy change rightfully recognizes the importance of recreational crabbing in Puget Sound and provides a SIGNIFICANT increase in fishing opportunity for Puget Sound crabbers.
     

  • CCA honors memory of Walter Fondren III - Oct. 26, 2010
    The Board of Directors of Coastal Conservation Association honored the conservation legacy of the organization’s founder during its recent meeting in Houston by dedicating CCA’s building the Walter W. Fondren III Conservation Headquarters. The building serves as headquarters for both the national organization and for CCA Texas.
     

  • Legislation to Improve Federal Marine Fisheries Management System Picks Up Support in the House - October 1, 2010
    Support is growing for legislation to address the crisis in federal marine fisheries management as a House version of the Fishery Conservation Transition Act was introduced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Dan Boren (D-Okla.); Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.); Mike Ross (D-Ark.); and Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), along with other Members of Congress.
     

  • Walther Named Hero of Conservation Award Finalist - Sept. 20, 2010
    CCA’s John Walther has been named one of the six finalists for Field & Stream’s 2010 Heroes of Conservation award designed to recognize sportsmen dedicated to the protection of fish and wildlife habitat.

  • Call to ban longlines in the Gulf - Sept. 13, 2010
    Against the backdrop of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, several non-governmental organizations are calling upon the federal government to ban the use of highly destructive, indiscriminate pelagic longline gear in the Gulf of Mexico. Longlines in the Gulf are used ostensibly to target yellowfin tuna and swordfish, but they also take a heavy bycatch of troubles species like bluefin tuna, marlin, sharks, and sea turtles.
     

  • Gag grouper rules leave anglers at a loss - Sept. 10, 2010
    Recreational anglers will find themselves in a familiar situation in another federal fishery when an interim rule set to go into effect in January will completely close the Gulf recreational fishery for gag grouper, yet still allow commercial boats to land and sell gags.
     

  • Remington® Arms and CCA partner for Gulf habitat restoration  - Sept. 8, 2010
    In a unique partnership between the hunting and angling communities, Remington Arms Company is offering a way for its customers to restore one of our country’s most valuable wildlife habitats through CCA’s Building Conservation Habitat Program. As part of its Fall 2010 Rebate Roundup program, Remington customers will have the option to donate all or a portion of the rebate to marine habitat projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

  • Fisheries Allocations Still Out of Whack - Aug. 31, 2010
    While the news from the most recent Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council meeting indicated a rosy future for scup, the Council’s failure to seek an economic study of the way scup are allocated between the recreational and commercial sectors presages a far dimmer future for scup anglers.
     

  • CCA statement on extended red snapper season - Aug. 31, 2010
    Coastal Conservation Association is supportive of an extension of the 2010 Gulf red snapper season based on NOAA Fisheries’ findings that 2.3 million pounds of Gulf red snapper quota remains uncaught, primarily as a result of the large closures of federal waters in response to the Deepwater Horizon accident.
     

  • Sportsman Channel and DISH Network Collaborate To Support Gulf Region Recovery Efforts - Aug. 31, 2010
     In an effort to raise awareness and funds for Gulf regions working to recover from the recent oil spill disaster, Sportsman Channel will funnel this year’s proceeds from the a la carte pricing to a special “Sportsman’s Fund” created with the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) to benefit Gulf coast habitat restoration and research.  CCA is one of the largest non-profit marine conservation groups in America.

  • 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.
     

  • Vancouver Reef expansion splashes down  - Aug. 18, 2010
    Texas anglers now have more fishing room at Vancouver Reef after more than 250 tons of concrete and granite reefing material were added to the popular fishing site this week through a cooperative effort of CCA Texas and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The addition of the material marks the single largest addition to the reef since the original Liberty ship was sunk at the site off Freeport in 1976.

  • 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

2008

2007

 
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