Saltwater Sportfishing Action Team - Background
Background
A process began a year and half ago to revitalize NOAA's recreational fisheries program. Developed cooperatively with extensive angler input, the NOAA Recreational Fisheries Strategic Plan (released in the Spring of 2005) is our collective vision for saltwater sportfishing. It reflects our philosophy that we can do more together than we can do separately. As an Agency, we made a commitment to work with our federal, state, and private partners to improve the science and management of recreational species and their habitats; keep anglers informed about and involved in the management process; and to promote marine stewardship.
Putting the Plan into Action
Far too often strategic plans end up collecting dust on an office shelf. We are determined to make this effort different. We intend to implement the Strategic Plan in the same way we prepared it. By working cooperatively with our partners.
In the Summer of 2005 we took the next step by beginning to connect the California sportfishing community (of which NOAA is a part) into a human network. To accomplish this, we're doing something we've never tried before. We invited experts not only from throughout NOAA, but also the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, the sportfishing community to help us set our course. Each group/organization/agency has responsibilities to service America's saltwater anglers through work in conservation, management, science, or advocacy.
This was the first of a series of regular meetings that will be held throughout California and is part of an ongoing effort to build a California sportfishing community network. Our overall goal is to make sportfishing better by improving communication and coordination within the California saltwater sportfishing community so that we can prioritize and plan our actions more efficiently.
