OUR SPONSORS
AT THE RECREATIONAL FISHING ALLIANCE (RFA),
WE’RE HERE TO PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM TO FISH!
Incorporated in 1996 as a 501(c)(4), the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA ) is the first national, grassroots political action organization established to represent the rights of recreational fishermen and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries issues, and we remain the only one.
We’re in the trenches every day, lobbying, educating decision makers and ensuring that the interests of America’s coastal anglers are being heard loud and clear. Click here to learn more about what we’re up against, and why joining the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) is so important when it comes to safeguarding your freedom to fish.
The RFA has been instrumental in the recovery of recreational white marlin and Atlantic sailfish stocks, has worked tirelessly to mitigate the damage of wind farms to the recreational fishing industry and has been influential in efforts to keep anglers fishing during the pandemic. Keep on top of the important issues affecting your freedom to fish. Join our mailing list to receive free RFA email alerts and bulletins!
Important Issues
Click on the images to read an overview of the issue
Reauthorization Magnuson-Stevens
Offshore Wind
30/30 Initiative
Latest News
Action Alert: 10-knot Restrictions Threaten Your Freedom to Fish & Entire Marine Industry
Federal government’s slow-speed zones would have severe negative impacts on [...]
RFA Submits Public Comment Regarding Proposed Hudson Canyon Marine Sanctuary
The RFA submitted the following public comment regarding the Proposed [...]
RECREATIONAL FISHING ALLIANCE NAMES ROBERT A. NIXON AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TRENTON: The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) is thrilled to announce [...]
RFA Policy Updates: What we’ve been working on
What We’ve Been Working On: RFA Policy Updates Harvest Control [...]
ASMFC Approves Atl. Striped Bass Amendment 7
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved Amendment 7 to [...]
The 21st Annual Manhattan Cup Charity Striped Bass Tournament
The Manhattan Cup Charity Striped Bass Tournament is scheduled for June 3 [...]
Read the Latest Issue of Making Waves
Some of Our Accomplishments
Led historic rallies in Washington DC (2010 & 2012) assembling well over 5,000 fishermen representing a united front between recreational and commercial fishermen in a call for a federal overhaul of restrictive regulations.
In response to arbitrary and capricious federal fisheries closures on both red snapper and black sea bass, opened federal litigation against NOAA Fisheries and the Secretary of Commerce calling for immediate federal action.
Successfully spearheaded efforts to pass New Jersey legislation limiting the size and power of commercial vessels participating in menhaden harvest for bait, while limiting entry provisions for commercial owners looking to harvest menhaden.
Testified numerous times before Congress on behalf of America’s saltwater anglers in opposition to catch shares and sector separation schemes, restrictive federal measures in the nation’s federal fisheries law, as well as against the bureaucratically bungled National Ocean Policy perpetrated by radical preservationist groups.
RFA Louisiana members led successful campaign to defeat restrictive ideological bill aimed at bowfish anglers in the Gulf Region.
As the first/only organization to step up in vocal opposition to catch shares and ‘individual fishing quota’ schemes in the recreational community, RFA has influence many of the ‘early adopters’ away from this new management model.
CAN WE BE ONE MILLION STRONG?
Do you think a Congressman, Senator, or the President of the United States could easily ignore the political presence of 1 million strong?
WHO'S YOUR PICK FOR RFA REGIONAL DIRECTOR?
The RFA wants to be able to fight even harder for issues impacting the saltwater angling community.
So, we are looking for a few good anglers to lead our regional chapters. In the next 90 days, we will be interviewing candidates for Regional Directors.
We'd like to have our members weigh in on the process, so if you know of a qualified candidate, including yourself, please click the link in bio and recommend a nominee.
Great day @canyon_runner seminars in Atlantic City today! We had thousands of anglers stop bye to talk fishing policy with RFA Executive Director, Rob Nixon! Special thanks to the Folsom Corporation for the donation of the @maxelfishingusa Oceanic two-speed trolling reel for our member raffle.
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#recreationalfishing #saltwaterfishing #mahi #sportfishing #fishtacos #fishinglife #gaff #saltlife #offshorefishing #angler #fishingislife #onthebite #fishingaddict #islamorada #sportfishing #floridafishing #inshorefishing #fisherman #fishon #pesca #bigfish #saltwater #shimano #tightlines #sushi #mahimahi #fishingdaily #pelagic #mahimahi #dorado
Hot off the presses! Check out the winter edition of Making Waves! Link in bio. #fishing #fishingisconservation #saltwater
Wishing you tight lines in the new year!
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#hny #saltwaterfishing #saltwater #recreationalfishing #angler #ladyangler #stripedbass #flounderfishing #hny2023
#fishing #tunafishing
Merry Fishmas! May you enjoy the holiday doing what you love most with the ones you love!🎄🐟🎄
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.📷: @emilykaebelle
#recreationalfishing #saltwaterfishing #mahi #sportfishing #fishtacos #fishinglife #gaff #saltlife #offshorefishing #angler #fishingislife #onthebite #fishingaddict #islamorada #sportfishing #floridafishing #inshorefishing #fisherman #fishon #pesca #bigfish #saltwater #shimano #tightlines #sushi #mahimahi #fishingdaily #pelagic #mahimahi #dorado
@hooked_on_yams is serving up some sunshine & sea bass to lighten your rainy day blues.
Federal government’s go-slow zones would cripple East Coast boating and fishing. Rushed revisions to the Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule are the most consequential maritime regulations the industry has ever faced. Last day to demand that NOAA put the proposed rule on pause!
Today is the last day to submit public comments on a proposed federal rule that would broaden the current 10-knot speed limit to include boats 35 feet and larger (down from 65 feet); expand the zones from discrete right whale calving areas to virtually the entire East Coast as far out as 100 nautical miles; and extend the go-slow mandate for up to seven months a year.
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#fishfordinner #saltwaterfishing #stripedbassfishing #conservation #sustainability #research #marinebiology #saltwaterangler #environmentallyfriendly #catchandrelease #stripers #stripedbass #surfcasting #surffishing #njfishing #striper #striperseason #njfishing #njfishinglife #sciencebased #justthefacts
Have you dug into the fall edition of Making Waves? Learn about the issues facing recreational saltwater anglers and what you can do to help the cause! Link in bio!
Listen at 22:12 on @americaoutdoorsradio podcast as Rob Nixon, Executive Director for the Recreational Fishing Alliance, sounds the alarm about a proposed rule that would limit all vessels 35 feet and larger to a speed of just 10 knots along much of the Atlantic coastline in America. Link in bio!
NOAA’s rushed revisions to the Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule would also significantly broaden seasonal speed restriction zones to include nearly all of the East Coast– impacting not only thousands of recreational anglers and boat owners but also marinas, tackle shops, and charter boat operators; basically all maritime-related businesses on the Atlantic Coast. Shown: @valhallaboatworks V-41.
Capt. Barry Gibson, RFA New England Regional Director, (Shown here with a mackerel caught with a @yozuri_lures crystal minnow) has been deeply involved in the process of the creation of the management plan for Atlantic mackerel from the beginning. Although we remain unsure of the accuracy of the data used in the latest stock assessment, we support the proposed 20-mackerel daily bag limit for recreational anglers, as we feel this will allow most fishermen ample opportunity to take a reasonable number of mackerel for home consumption or as use for bait for species such as striped bass and tuna.
We applaud the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s decision to drop the suggested option of a closed season for recreationally-caught mackerel, as we believe this would have had a substantial negative impact on sport fisheries that depend upon mackerel for bait, as well as on coastal tourism industries, particularly in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Atlantic bluefin have been a growing presence over the past ten years and are responsible for thousands of angler trips. Long-time RFA member & Making Waves Publisher Gary Caputi encountered an extraordinary bluefin bite just eight miles off the North Jersey shoreline in late August with fish from schoolies to over 100 pounds caught aboard his 27’ Pathfinder.
Never forget. #september11
Captain Brendan is putting his people on a pile of porgies. A great start to the weekend!🎣🐟
This Labor Day, as we honor the vital contributions of the American Worker, we’re wishing you tight lines and following seas! 📷: @sfdoublebarrel
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#saltwaterangler #saltwaterfishing #saltwater #buylocal #fluke #cod #seabass #bass #hook #fishing #fishinglife #boat #boats #boatlife #marlinfishing #fishingcharters #saltwater #saltwaterfishing #fishinglures #saltlife #newjersey #njfishing #LDW #laborday #marlin
RFA Executive Director, Rob Nixon, had a pretty amazing day fishing with saltwater savant Captain Brian Cone on the Contagious out of Islamlorada. @conetagiousfishing Said Rob, “We hit our max of tuna within the first 30 minutes out and then he found Mahi when no other boat was finding them. Totally perfect day on the water.”
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#recreationalfishing #saltwaterfishing #mahi #sportfishing #fishtacos #fishinglife #gaff #saltlife #offshorefishing #angler #fishingislife #onthebite #fishingaddict #islamorada #sportfishing #floridafishing #inshorefishing #fisherman #fishon #pesca #bigfish #saltwater #shimano #tightlines #sushi #mahimahi #fishingdaily #pelagic #mahimahi #dorado
NJ TRIPLETAIL! WHAT!? 🤯Possible NEW STATE RECORD FISH! Not even on the #NJ records!!! 3.5 lbs- 17.5” #tripletail caught 20 miles out on the pots! @steven_coponi tossed a @tsunamitackle shad to it by the trap line aboard his family’s boat “LIV-VEN 4 REEL” It was a team effort! Brother, sister & dad! Congrats! #CRAZY season continues…. #fish36 repost @tackleboxnj
BOEM recently extended the Public Comment period will receive public comments on the Ocean Wind 1 DEIS through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 23, 2022. Below is an excerpt from RFA’s submitted public comments:
Like the wind, fish move freely regardless of boundaries and grids on maps. Where the fish move private anglers and for-hire boats do their best to follow. The development of solid structures in the ocean will also establish new habitat that will attract fish to where they may not have frequented in the past. As such it is critical that the areas around and among the windmills must remain as open as possible for recreational anglers.
We are also sure you have received concerns from anglers that there could be future restrictions not only on fishing but also on transit through the wind fields. It is imperative that BOEM, the lease holders and the Coast Guard respect the rights of boaters to travel where they have for generations.
We are certainly grateful that the lease holders and BOEM have developed outreach programs and appointed fishing liaisons but the final approvals must clearly protect the rights of recreational anglers and boaters to access fishing grounds that may be within the project area. Only a definitive statement of policy supporting recreational fishing rights in the lease area will relieve the concerns of the thousands of anglers and the multi-billion dollar industry they support. Preserving the right to fish is a commitment made frequently in the hearings, in the reports and in comments from the lease holder. Cementing it as a part of the final approval should be a decision that is easy to reach together.
We look forward to working with BOEM and the lease holder in the future to ensure a continued engagement with and protections for recreational anglers as this process develops.”
RFA Executive Director Rob A. Nixon Recently submitted public comment on the proposed Hudson Canyon marine sanctuary. The RFA’s position is that recreational fishing must be allowed to continue in the Hudson Canyon.
“The RFA is aware from the proposed NOAA-NOS-2022-0053 and NOAA comments in public hearings that the “intention” of the Sanctuary concept is to preserve recreational fishing as currently managed today. However, as NOAA has also heard in public comments, anglers worry that an intention today does not indicate action to prohibit fishing in the future. We believe, however, that NOAA can act to eliminate this concern should a Sanctuary designation be adopted for the Hudson Canyon.
NOAA can reassure the recreational fishing community by taking steps to solidify the proposed intention of keeping the sanctuary open to recreational fishing. These could include:
Adoption of language in the Sanctuary management plan to clearly state that recreational fishing is welcomed now and in perpetuity within the designated Sanctuary.
Establish that the “Terms of Designation” (Section 306: “Prohibited Activities”) does not include recreational fishing to ensure that fishing is not banned and will remain under the management of the relevant fisheries councils.
Set aside seats on the Pre-Designation Advisory Council for recreational fishing appointees.”
Full letter: link in bio.
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#HudsonCanyon
#MarineSanctuary
#NationalMarineSanctuary #nyfishing #goldentilefish #saltwaterangling #saltwaterfishing
@hooked_on_yams had a tough day fishing with wind against tide blowing at 25mph. Bite had shut down my 9:30am but managed to get a quick early limit, ending the day as high hook and this nice slab. Congratulations, Joseph on another epic catch!
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#Fluke #Rhodeisland #Jigging #Sand
#Flattie #Rocks #Slab #Fisherman #Fish#SummerFlounder #Sashimi #Ceviche #FiletOFish #Slab #Gulp #Jig #JYam
We'd like to thank our Sustaining Partners like @northcoastboats for their support. The Sustaining Partner program keeps us in the fight for your freedom to fish. If you'd like to show your support for the RFA and the work that we do to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat, and tackle industry jobs and ensure the long-term sustainability of U.S. saltwater fisheries, please click the link in our bio.
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@yamahaoutboards #freedomtofish #stripedbass #tuna #whitemarlin #fishing #capecod #saltwaterfishing #boatlife #blackfish #fluke #outboard #offshore #flyfishing #bottomfishing #stripermigration #topwater #chickswhofish #madeintheusa #oceanfishing #fishingaddicts #sightfishing #saltwaterangler