Last fall, President Obama's Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force released its Interim Report regarding a new national ocean and Great Lakes policy. The Task Force, led by the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), is charged with developing a national policy for conserving and managing the United States ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources.

Not only did the Interim Report ignore responsibly regulated recreational fishing as a key activity, but decisions made under this national policy could be used to unnecessarily close areas of saltwater and freshwater to recreational fishing. We have yet to see if the final report recognizes recreational fishing and balances sustainable uses with resource conservation.

Despite the complexity of establishing a national policy - and that the Task Force has yet to release its final recommendations - pressure is being placed on the President to short-circuit the process and get new policies in place through an executive order. An executive order would bypass the necessary oversight, including Congressional review, that such an important and complex policy deserves. Please act now to protect your access to recreational fishing opportunities.

Click here or visit http://capwiz.com/keepamericafishing/issues/alert/?alertid=14653146 to send a letter to President Obama, your Members of Congress, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Chair of the Ocean Policy Task Force urging them to allow for appropriate Congressional review and oversight before a new ocean policy is put in place that could affect your ability to fish on waters coast to coast.