MRAA has joined on to the Boating and Fishing Aquatic Invasive Species Coalition, which is comprised of stakeholder organizations from around the country. The coalition was formed to present a united front on Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) policies at the federal level.
During the first meeting on Monday, July 23rd, the coalition unanimously agreed to support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Brandon Road Study, a report evaluating options to prevent the spread of AIS from the Mississippi River Basin into the Great Lakes Basin and steps to speed up USACE’s study timeline. The Great Lakes region is home to more than 3.1 million boaters and accounts for 26.8% of all registered boats in the U.S.
In addition to the MRAA, the following organizations participated in the coalition meeting: American Sportfishing Association; Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; Association of Marina Industries; B.A.S.S. LLC; BoatUS; Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation; Kentucky Department of Natural Resource; Michigan Marine Trades Association; Lake Erie Marine Trades Association; National Marine Manufacturers Association; and Trout Unlimited.
If you have any questions about legislative issues, or something happening in your state, please contact Will Higgins.