Executive Order 12962
(60 FR 30769)
MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHERIES STATISTICS
(Download PDF,
2 pages) Download
Acrobat Reader.
By the authority vested in me as President
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,
and in furtherance of the purposes of the Fish and Wildlife Act
of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a-d, and e-j), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination
Act (16 U.S.C. 661-666c), the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and the Magnuson Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801-1882), and other pertinent
statutes, and in order to conserve, restore, and enhance aquatic
systems to provide for increased recreational fishing opportunities
nationwide, it is ordered as follows:
Section 1. Federal Agency Duties. Federal agencies shall, to the extent permitted
by law and where practicable, and in cooperation with the States
and Tribes, improve the quantity, function, sustainable productivity,
and distribution of U.S. aquatic resources for increased recreational
fishing opportunities by:
(a) developing and encouraging partnerships
between governments and the private sector to advance aquatic
resource conservation and enhance recreational fishing opportunities;
(b) identifying recreational fishing opportunities
that are limited by water quality and habitat degradation and
promoting restoration to support viable, healthy, and where feasible,
self-sustaining recreational fisheries;
(c) fostering sound aquatic conservation
and restoration endeavors to benefit recreational fisheries;
(d) providing access to and promoting awareness
of opportunities for public participation and enjoyment of U.S.
recreational fishery resources;
(e) supporting outreach programs designed
to stimulate angler participation in the conservation and restoration
of aquatic systems;
(f) implementing laws under their purview
in a manner that will conserve, restore, and enhance aquatic
systems that support recreational fisheries;
(g) establishing cost-share programs, under
existing authorities, that match or exceed Federal funds with
nonfederal contributions;
(h) evaluating the effects of Federally
funded, permitted, or authorized actions on aquatic systems and
recreational fisheries and document those effects relative to
the purpose of this order; and
(i) assisting private landowners to conserve
and enhance aquatic resources on their lands.
Section 2. National Recreational Fisheries
Coordination Council. A National
Recreational Fisheries Coordination Council ("Coordination
Council") is hereby established. The Coordination Council
shall consist of seven members, one member designated by each
of the following Secretaries - Interior, Commerce, Agriculture,
Energy, Transportation, and Defense - and one by the Administrator
of the Environmental Protection Agency. The Coordination Council
shall:
(a) ensure that the social and economic
values of healthy aquatic systems that support recreational fisheries
are considered by Federal agencies in the course of their actions;
(b) reduce duplicative and cost-inefficient
programs among Federal agencies involved in conserving or managing
recreational fisheries;
(c) share the latest resource information
and management technologies to assist in the conservation and
management of recreational fisheries;
(d) assess the implementation of the Conservation
Plan required under section 3 of this order; and (e) develop
a biennial report of accomplishments of the Conservation Plan.
The representatives designated by the Secretaries
of Commerce and Interior shall cochair the Coordination Council.
Section 3. Recreational Fishery Resources
Conservation Plan.
(a) Within 12 months of the date of this
order, the Coordination Council, in cooperation with Federal
agencies, States, and Tribes, and after consulting with the Federally
chartered Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, shall
develop a comprehensive Recreational Fishery Resources Conservation
Plan ("Conservation Plan").
(b) The Conservation Plan will set forth
a 5-year agenda for Federal agencies identified by the Coordination
Council. In so doing, the Conservation Plan will establish, to
the extent permitted by law and where practicable;
(1) measurable objectives to conserve and
restore aquatic systems that support viable and healthy recreational
fishery resources,
(2) actions to be taken by the identified
Federal agencies,
(3) a method of ensuring the accountability
of such Federal agencies, and
(4) a comprehensive mechanism to evaluate
achievements.
The Conservation Plan will, to the extent
practicable, be integrated with existing plans and programs,
reduce duplication, and will include recommended actions for
cooperation with States, Tribes, conservation groups, and the
recreational fisheries community.
Section 4. Joint Policy for Administering
the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
All Federal agencies will aggressively work to identify and minimize
conflicts between recreational fisheries and their respective
responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ("ESA")
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Within 6 months of the date of this
order, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine
Fisheries Service will promote compatibility and reduce conflicts
within the administration of the ESA and recreational fisheries
by developing a joint agency policy that will;
(1) ensure consistency in the administration
of the ESA between and within the two agencies,
(2) promote collaboration with other Federal,
State, and Tribal fisheries managers, and
(3) improve and increase efforts to inform
nonfederal entities of the requirements of the ESA.
Section 5. Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership
Council. To assist in the implementation of this order, the Secretary
of the Interior shall expand the role of the Sport Fishing and
Boating Partnership Council to:
(a) monitor specific Federal activities
affecting aquatic systems and the recreational fisheries they
support;
(b) review and evaluate the relation of
Federal policies and activities to the status and conditions
of recreational fishery resources; and
(c) prepare an annual report of its activities,
findings, and recommendations for submission to the Coordination
Council.
Section 6. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to improve the internal
management of the executive branch and it is not intended to
create any right, benefit or trust responsibility, substantive
or procedural, enforceable at law or equity by a party against
the United States, its agencies, its officers, or any other person.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
THE WHITE HOUSE
June 7, 1995
|