July 20, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) – Earlier today, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and leaders of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) hosted a Breakfast Briefing titled “Charting a New Course for Whales and Boats”. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is currently considering a rule that would virtually eliminate offshore access for more than half the year along much of the Atlantic Coast for recreational vessels 35 feet and longer. Members of the Congressional CSC leadership are concerned with the lack of engagement by NOAA with the angling and boating industry on alternative solutions to the draconian speed zones being proposed, as well as the rule’s implications for the social fabric along the East Coast and the economic contributions of the fishing and boating industry to the nation. “I was proud to secure a provision in the FY 24 Commerce, Justice, and Science funding bill that will require NOAA to engage with affected stakeholders as a first step in finding a way forward where we can scientifically protect the right whales while also supporting the industry,” said CSC Co-Chair Senator Joe Manchin. “We are committed to advancing legislation and creating data-driven and innovative solutions to protect the right whale population but also strengthen American jobs and small businesses.” In June, CSC Co-Chairs Sens. Manchin and Boozman introduced the Protecting Whales, Human Safety, and the Economy Act (S. 1833), a bill to prohibit the issuance of an interim or final rule that amends, updates, modifies, or replaces the North Atlantic Right Whale vessel strike reduction rule until a near real-time whale monitoring program (authorized in the National Defense Administration Act for FY 2023) is in place to inform a new rule. A similar bipartisan bill was recently introduced in the House by CSC Member Rep. Buddy Carter and Rep. Mary Peltola. Congress also recently advanced similar language in the House and Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bills, which CSF and partners advocated to help address the rule. “We all want to do what’s right and protect the right whales,” said CSC Co-Chair Senator John Boozman. “It’s important that we can come together in situations like this, in a bipartisan way, and find a solution that we can all agree with. We can and should balance protecting wildlife and livelihoods because it is common sense.” Clay Crabtree of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Mike Waine of the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) gave presentations on the boating and fishing industry concerns with the proposed rule, including the process for its development, the inaccurate assumptions made in risk assessment models, and the ramifications of the rule if implemented as written. They also offered thoughts on a better alternative for a new course to protect whales and boating access. Also joining the briefing was CSC Vice-Chair Congressman Garret Graves of Louisiana, who reiterated that we must continue to work together in a bipartisan manner to find practical solutions for both whales and access for the angling and boating community. “There is no question that we all want to protect the right whales, but we need to do it the right way,” said CSC Member Congressman Buddy Carter. “If this rule goes through it will devastate recreational fishing and have a detrimental impact on our eastern Atlantic seaports. There are better ways we can approach this to find a solution that works for everyone.” “Through the combination of the unparalleled leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, CSF, and our industry partners, today’s briefing provided an opportunity to present our communities’ concerns with the proposed rule and our thoughts on reasonable solutions to one of the biggest threats facing our community,” said Chris Horton, CSF’s Director of Fisheries Policy. “It would have been great to have had this same opportunity with NOAA early in the process, rather than starting at a near final rule that will virtually exclude recreational boats from accessing important fisheries for much of the year.” CSF extends our appreciation to NMMA as co-host of the briefing, along with the support of BassPro Shops, Pure Fishing, Rather Outdoors, and Shimano. | 
