National Ocean Policy
Summary
Initially conceived to promote conservation in our nation’s waters, there are several key facets that pose a direct and serious threat to our sporting traditions as well as state conservation efforts across the country. Stay informed about how this policy will impact waterways near you.
This policy was issued on July 19, 2010 when President Obama signed Executive Order 13547, titled Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes, establishing what is now known as the National Ocean Policy. This policy was designed to promote conservation in our nation's waterways including the oceans, the Great Lakes, tributaries that lead therein and the coasts surrounding these waterways.
This is not a new concept. Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning initiatives have been implemented at the state level in several locations with mixed results. However, there are several key facets in the National Ocean Policy that may pose a threat to our sporting traditions as well as state conservation efforts across the country and are of concern to some Congressmen, including the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee Representative Doc Hastings, as demonstrated in the letter he sent on April 2nd to Chairman Rogers of the House Committee on Appropriations.
The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation has been working diligently to address concerns of the recreational fishing community about the National Ocean Policy, including the treatment of recreational fishing as a national priority through this initiative. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, along with several other recreational fishing organizations, submitted an initial set of comments on the draft Implementation Plan on February 27, 2012. In a meeting with the Council for Environmental Quality, the groups were requested to submit a second set of comments, with more specific recommendations and exact language changes we would like to appear in the document. A second set of comments in response to this request was submitted on March 27, 2012.
Take Action: Stay informed on how the National Ocean Policy will impact your area. Click here to find out which Regional Planning Body will be implementing this effort in the waters in your state.
Links
- Executive Order 13547
- Find out which Regional Planning Body will be implementing this effort in the waters in your state.
Downloads
| Description | Download |
|---|---|
| Letter sent by Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee Representative Doc Hastings to Chairman Rogers of the House Committee on Appropriations. | Download file |
| Comments on the Draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan. | Download file |
| Second set of comments on the Draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan. | Download file |
