Number: 1979-07
WHEREAS, an estimated 21 million anglers in the estuarine and coastal waters of the United States catch about 1.2 billion pounds of edible fin-fish annually, with a total economic value of over $3.9 billion and a service industry employing over 241,000 people, all growing at a rate of about 5% per year; and
WHEREAS, concern is growing over the possible depletion of valuable resources, and equitable allocations of yield are a growing necessity; and
WHEREAS, not enough is known about the needs, habits, population status, and harvest rates of most coastal and oceanic game fishes to allow their management with confidence by coastal state administrators or the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils; and
WHEREAS, the states, despite modest financial assistance from several federal programs, have insufficient income for marine recreational fishing studies, coastal fishery management efforts, estuarine and shoreline habitat protection, prevention of marine pollution, and construction of fishing facilities, and are unable to obtain more financing because of lack of documenting data on paid license holders and/or lack of license income; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation twice before (1955 and 1957) has advocated the adoption of state marine recreational fishing license requirements for the betterment of sport fishing, but notes the slow progress toward that goal in spite of increasing clarity of need;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 22-25, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario, hereby urges all coastal states to develop and refine licensing requirements for sport fishermen in salt waters under state jurisdiction, retaining all possible comparability and reciprocity with adjacent states and devoting the resulting license data and income to the study and improvement of salt water angling; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon all concerned conservationists and sportsmen to assist state fisheries administrators and legislators in roles of communicators, coordinators, and educators to achieve this difficult but urgent goal.