In an August 25 Executive Memo to the Secretary's of Defense, Interior and Commerce and the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), President Bush directed them to study potential marine protected areas in the central Pacific Ocean. The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) supports the President for his direction to the agencies and CEQ to sustain access to recreational fishing as part of their study.

"We are very pleased that after much discussion, the President included sustained access for recreational fishing in the central Pacific region as an integral part of a conservation management plan," said ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman. "We are even more pleased that the President chose not to include two areas of great concern for the sportfishing community, the Gulf of Mexico's Islands in the Stream and marine areas of the southeast United States."

As outlined in the memo, the central Pacific region includes coral reefs, pinnacles, sea mounts, islands and the surrounding waters of Johnston Atoll, Howland, Baker and Jarvis Islands, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, Wake Island and Rose Atoll. These are all high-value fish habitat areas.

Nussman further said, "It is our view that the Gulf of Mexico and marine waters off the southeast United States coast are adequately managed by the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. Any need for marine protected areas should be addressed through the councils' public and science-driven process."