Contact: Scott Smullen - NMFS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Janet Tennyson - USFWS 07/12/96
New Orleans -- National Marine Fisheries Service Director Rollie Schmitten accepted on behalf of the agency today the American Sportfishing Association's 1996 Excellence in Sport Fisheries Management Award for leadership in producing the Recreational Fishery Resources Conservation Plan and joint endangered species policy, unveiled by the Administration on June 3.
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., the National Marine Fisheries Service is part of the U.S. Commerce Departmentūs National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
ASA President and CEO Mike Hayden presented Schmitten the award at ASA's Annual Awards Reception held in conjunction with the 1996 International Sportsfishing Expo in New Orleans. The ASA award recognizes the National Marine Fisheries Services' dedication and leadership that produced such an important sport fisheries management plan and joint policy. As co-sponsor of the plan, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received the same award.
"I'm pleased to accept this American Sportfishing Association award for those in the agency who have worked so hard to produce the Recreational Fishery Resources Conservation Plan," said Schmitten. "This plan will allow us to improve the management of marine fisheries by encouraging anglers to further promote conservation and restoration activities and by supporting educational outreach programs. Also, we will evaluate agency actions and their effects on marine recreational fisheries."
The conservation plan identifies the vital role recreational fisheries have in the social, cultural, and economic well-being of American society. The plan calls for 24 federal agencies to work more closely with states, tribes, and the sportsfishing public to improve recreational fisheries within their respective programs during the next five years. The agencies will design, by the end of 1996, independent strategies to improve fisheries and their habitats and increase angling opportunities and access on federal lands.
In an award letter to Schmitten, Hayden said the conservation plan "... will further sport fisheries management while implementing endangered species restoration projects." He further stated the manner with which the National Marine Fisheries Service consulted with all stakeholders when developing the plan "...is a model for government programs."