The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) was established in 1996 specifically as the political action organization for recreational fishermen and the sportfishing industry. As a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization, RFA is uniquely chartered by federal law and through exclusive mission 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.”
With the dedicated support of our dues-paying members, along with the financial support (newsletter advertisements, sponsorships, donations, contributions, partnerships, etc.) of the following angling industry leaders, RFA staff continues to ‘live within the mission’ to protect America’s right to fish in marine waters.
(Click here to visit some of RFA’s supporting clubs, trade partners, outfitters and tackle shops nationwide!)
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
Become a Sustaining Partner
Sustaining Partners are the backbone of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and provide us with a dependable source of revenue so we can do our job of protecting our community’s right to fish.
As a Sustaining Partner, your year-round partnership provides your organization with visibility to the a national audience and demonstrates your support for the RFA’s goals and objectives. Sustaining Partners do not receive renewal notices in the mail which means that even more resources are saved and go right back into keeping us working to protect your rights as saltwater anglers. Most importantly, Sustaining Partners have the satisfaction of knowing they are always actively doing their part to keep RFA thriving.
Fishing is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United States. Over the last couple years, more than 50 million Americans flocked to the nation’s waterways to engage in freshwater, saltwater, and fly-fishing activities, marking the highest fishing participation rate in over a decade. (statista.com)
At RFA, we are launching a freemium membership providing Sustaining Partners reach to potentially 54 million fishing participants in the United States through RFA’s social media, website, fishing tournaments, boat shows and other opportunities. The fishing sector in the United States was valued at $9.62 billion in 2020, illustrating the fishing enthusiasts communities dedication and the need for the RFA to continue to battle the policies that could impact the industry.
We would look forward to discussing how your organization can partner with the RFA!.
If you or your company wishes to support the RFA as a Sustaining Partner, please contact Lorna O’Hara at LOhara@joinrfa.org or call 609.209.9959.