By Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager In early April, leaders from across the recreational fishing industry gathered in Washington, D.C. for the inaugural American Sportfishing Association (ASA) Keep America Fishing Fly-In. The event, a coordinated advocacy effort, was designed to bring industry perspectives directly to Capitol Hill. For the
Part 2 of a Q&A with Sarah Bonvallet with the Wrap Recycle Right Program and Denise Diorio McVeigh with Reverse Logistics Group.
By Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has taken an important first step toward reexamining Federal vessel regulations intended to protect the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, and this development has meaningful implications for the
• Program Overview & Why it Exists • Q&A with Sarah Bonvallet of Wrap Recycle Right Program & Denise Diorio McVeigh, EPR Services and Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Reverse Logistics Group Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a three-part Q&A with leaders of the Wrap Recycle Right program. We
By Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has taken an important first step toward reexamining federal vessel regulations intended to protect the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, and this development has meaningful implications for the
By Chad Tokowicz, Government Relations Manager, Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) If there was one clear takeaway from state level advocacy battles in 2025, it’s this: recreational boats remain an attractive revenue target for lawmakers. Across the country, legislators introduced proposals to increase sales taxes, impose new “luxury”
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) celebrates an incredible achievement for our industry’s advocacy efforts — the industry’s political action committee, BoatPAC, has set a new all-time fundraising record! Thanks to the generosity of more than 400 donors across the recreational boating industry, BoatPAC raised $359,000 during the
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), joined by several Connecticut-based marine retailers, has submitted formal comments to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) regarding its proposed Wake Boat and Wakesurf Study. The wakesurfing study is intended to evaluate the operation and impacts of wake boats
By Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager In May the United States Coast Guard announced plans to remove a number of Aids to Navigation (ATONs) across the Northeast. These ATONs — buoys, markers and beacons — are essential tools that guide boaters safely through our nation’s waterways. The Coast Guard
• Implications for marine retailers — how the MRAA is fighting for you By Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager In late May, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a powerful trade group representing automakers and suppliers, responded to a public comment request from the Department of Justice’s newly created Anticompetitive
