Today, it is no longer enough simply to be law-abiding. By becoming an ethical angler, you will help safeguard sportfishing as a pleasurable pastime for now and the future. Knows how to release unwanted fish so that they have a good chance for survival. Understands and observes boating regulations. Keeps garbage in the boat, instead of teaching it to swim.
Shares expertise with others.
Sportfish Restoration Recreational fishing has become so popular that the fish populations are struggling to keep up with the anglers. But declining fish stocks are nothing new. The New England states responded early on by establishing agencies to study and develop conservation measures for declining fish populations. By 1871, the U.S. Congress recognized depleted fish stocks as an issue requiring attention and created the U.S. Office of the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries. The agency encouraged states to implement conservation measures, and initiated its own hatchery and stocking efforts.