NOAA Fisheries recently held a National Town Hall Meeting in Mid July as well as several webinars seeking input on the development of the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy. Put into action by Eileen Sobeck at the 2014 National Recreational Saltwater Fishing Summit, the policy aims to create a clear statement on operating guidelines in regards to managing recreational fisheries. While this will not be a silver bullet to fix many of the current fisheries management issues facing recreational fisheries, the policy will institutionalize the agency’s commitment to recreational fishing as well as provide guidance during the decision making process. TBF’s Advocacy Center will develop full comments in the upcoming weeks and comments on this important policy are due in September.

To read the policy fact sheet, click here.

To read the discussion guide, which serves as a valuable tool when generating both in-person and comment submissions, click here.

To comment on particular portions of the policy, click here.

To see the Town Hall schedule and to read the summaries from previous meetings, click here.