Gosar says the bill will “strengthen local economies and ensure the continuation of vibrant recreational fishing economies throughout the nation.”
Gosar claims that The Fish Hatchery Protection Act is necessary because the Obama Administration “arbitrarily changed the priorities for propagation programs for our National Fish Hatchery System, terminated important recreational fishing propagation programs and announced their intent to close fish hatcheries throughout the nation in fiscal year 2015. Our National Fish Hatchery System has already been reduced from nearly 140 hatcheries to 70. There are rumored to be another 29 hatcheries on the Fish and Wildlife hit list slated for closure in fiscal year 2015.”
According to Gosar, the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery in Arizona was instructed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to focus on producing suckers and other fish that do not attract anglers or generate revenues for local economies and to terminate its recreational fishing propagation program. Gosar claims that terminating the annual production of 150,000 rainbow trout at the Willow Beach Hatchery will stifle Arizona’s multimillion-dollar fishing industry as well as cause considerable harm to small businesses, local governments and our citizens who depend on the financial benefits associated with sports fishing.
Gosar believes that similar impacts will be felt throughout the nation.
Two Arizona witnesses will be testifying at the hearing in support of this legislation.