|
Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) is a nonprofit organization of strong state chapters comprised of saltwater anglers who have banned together to address marine conservation issues nationally and within their respective states.CCA’s primary objective: protect marine resources. An important adjunct to that goal, however, is to improve the current and future state of saltwater fishing for recreational anglers and future generations of fishermen. CCA had its beginnings in Texas in 1977, where the Gulf Coast Conservation Association was formed by concerned anglers alarmed by declining fish populations. The organization swept across the Gulf states, with Alabama joining in 1982 followed by Louisiana (1984) and Mississippi and Florida (1985). CCA chapters then were formed in South Carolina (1986), Georgia (1987), and North Carolina and Virginia (1989). The association continued its march northward when Maine (1994), Massachusetts and Maryland (1995), and Connecticut and New York (1996) joined. New Hampshire joined the organization in 1998. CCA chapters in coastal state capitals from the Gulf to the North Atlantic are highly regarded watchdogs of saltwater fishing activities. They also are valued as cooperative partners with state wildlife and fisheries agencies in developing programs and legislation that protect and enhance marine resources. Every state has enjoyed successes and 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 of anglers. CCA’s members recognize that only a concerted, ongoing effort of major proportions will save the natural resources of our coastal waters from certain depletion and destruction. They are dedicated to preventing that from happening through programs of education, legislation, and restoration. CCA and its state chapters are engaged in hundreds of programs and projects related to marine conservation, including scientific studies, scholarship funding, artificial reefs, hatcheries, contaminant and hydrology studies, fresh water inflows, support of local marine law enforcement, and many others. CCA also has led or shared in the efforts to obtain gamefish status for a number of overfished species, to ban destructive fishing gear and gill nets, and to implement recovery plans for various fisheries. And the organization has defended those protective measures against legal challenges at every court level. (See the partial list of accomplishments on the back.) CCA, through its dedicated volunteers, has become the nation’s largest, most powerful voice for recreational saltwater anglers and for the conservation and protection of our marine resources. For more information about CCA, call 1-800-201-FISH or visit our Web site at www.joincca.org
|
