WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator George LeMieux (R-FL) today secured a commitment from the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that she will appoint a senior policy advisor to improve relations between NOAA and the recreational fishing community. Senator LeMieux also highlighted the need for the federal government to review restrictions on recreational fishing.

"Recreational fishing is a huge part of Florida's economy and way of life. Floridians have adhered to the limits of fishing standards, and those standards have worked. Now they're trying to change those standards without listening to the communities most impacted. Before we create a new policy, there needs to be more discussion, review, and public input," said Senator LeMieux. "I have serious concerns about the information the National Marine Fisheries Service is using to set new fishing restrictions and closures. I am hearing from fishermen in Florida that the information is not accurate and possibly opposite to the scarcity reports being used to create these fishing standards."

NOAA has placed new restrictions and early season closures on the Grouper, Snapper, and Amberjack fisheries, significantly impacting recreational fishermen. Senator LeMieux made his comments during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing this morning.

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) was tasked by the White House Administration to create an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force for reviewing ocean policy management. This task force was charged with developing recommendations that include a national policy for our oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes, a framework to improve Federal policy coordination, an implementation strategy to meet the objectives of a national ocean policy, and a framework for effective coastal and marine spatial planning. Senator LeMieux also raised concerns during the hearing to both the Chair of the CEQ and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, that the economic benefits of recreational fishing were omitted from the Task Force's Interim Report.

See the complete press release at Senator LeMieux ‘s site here: http://lemieux.senate.gov