Has anyone heard of this, looked into it before?
Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) is an organization of strong state chapters comprised of avid recreational fishermen who have banded together to address
conservation issues nationally and within their respective states.
The outdoor sports enthusiasts and conservationists who make up the organization recognize that only a concerted, on-going effort of major proportions will save the
natural resources of our coastal waters from certain depletion or destruction. They are dedicated to preventing that from happening through programs of education,
legislation and restoration.
The group had its beginning in 1977 in Texas, where CCA Texas was formed by concerned anglers who were alarmed by declining fish populations. They were made
painfully aware of the inherent dangers brought on by dramatically increased commercial fishing pressure and from growing numbers of recreational anglers.
CCA swept across the Gulf States in eight years: First to Alabama (1982) and Louisiana (1984), then to
Mississippi and Florida (1985). The Atlantic coast presence of CCA Florida meant a surge up the east coast,
where CCA chapters were formed in South Carolina (1986), Georgia (1987), Virginia and North Carolina (1989).
This expansion continued northward with the formation of CCA state chapters in Maine (1994), Massachusetts
and Maryland (1995), Connecticut and New York (1996) and New Hampshire (1998).
In coastal state capitols from the Gulf to the north-Atlantic , CCA chapters are highly regarded watchdogs of
fishing activities. They are also valued as cooperative partners with state wildlife and fisheries agencies in
developing programs and legislation that protect and enhance the marine resource. Every state has enjoyed its
successes and each has endured disappointments. But none has given the first indication of letting up in the fight to
return a wholesome coastal fishery to the recreational fishing public and future generations.
Nationally, CCA has led or shared in the efforts to stop the disastrous netting of redfish in the federal waters of the
Gulf of Mexico and the overfishing of kingfish. Another CCA success was the key role played in obtaining a
Federal Management Plan for Atlantic billfish. CCA has played an important part in the ongoing recovery of striped bass and the elimination of destructive fishing gear.
The organization continues to focus on the Magnuson Act, to ensure that conservation concerns are appropriately addressed. The involvement of CCA in the Fishery
Management Councils and the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission remains a high priority.
CCA and its state organizations are engaged in hundreds of different programs and projects relating to conservation at all times.
These programs and projects include scientific studies, scholarship funding, artificial reefs, hatcheries, contaminant studies,
hydrology studies, fresh water inflows, support of local enforcement agencies and many others. But their sights are all trained on
the same overall objectives: First, protect the resource, then improve the current and future fishing for everyone.
A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION
CCA has more than 164 local chapters of organized anglers throughout 15 coastal states with a combined membership greater than 75,000. CCA?s 60 state and national
staff members coordinate more than 400 chapter events and fundraisers each year.
CCA has more than 80 state and national committees, 150 national board directors, more than 900 board members - on local, state, and national levels - and more than
5,000 active volunteers contributing to the organization?s daily development and growth.
CCA members include a former U.S. President, former Cabinet members, Congressmen, Senators, ICCAT Commissioners, Fishery Management Council members,
Governors, State Legislators, and state and federal fisheries managers.
CCA has a registered lobbyist in Washington D.C. and has been active in every national debate on fisheries since 1984. We currently retain 17 state and federal
professional lobbyists.
CCA makes decisions from the bottom up, involving our membership in all regional and national policy positions. We operate as a three-tiered organization - local, state,
and national.
CCA is recognized by fisheries managers as instrumental in the recovery of redfish, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, striped bass, Gulf grouper, and
Atlantic weakfish.
CCA helped establish gamefish status for billfish and redfish, net bans in four states, and the prohibition of many destructive gear types. We have been instrumental in
establishing far-reaching conservation legislation on both the state and federal levels.
CCA has a legal defense fund that has been used to defend net bans and bycatch reduction devices, support pro-fisheries legislation, and enforce existing regulations.
CCA has an award winning national publication, Tide magazine, and a special youth publication, Rising Tide.
CCA has an annual audit and tax return prepared by a nationally recognized public accounting firm.
CCA has a proven methodology for tracking membership and a nationally recognized retention rate.
For more information about CCA, call 1-800-201-FISH or visit our website at
www.joincca.org
Coastal Conservation Association??
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