On April 15, the California Fish & Game Commission voted unanimously to provide the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) the leeway to “delay, suspend or restrict sport or recreational fishing” if deemed necessary to protect against the potential spread of COVID-19.
That decision – which centered around California’s April 25 trout opener in three rural counties in the Eastern Sierra – was the latest in a series of COVID-related, state-level mandates that specifically restrict fishing, boating and hunting.
It comes on the heels of:
- An April 9 Executive Order by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (EO 2020-42) that banned the use of motorized watercraft for both fishing and general recreation in Michigan until April 30.
- A March 31 closure of the Tippy Dam State Recreation Area on Michigan’s Manistee River, in response to anglers congregating to fish the river’s popular spring steelhead run.
- A March 25 Executive Order by Washington Governor Jay Inslee that prohibits all recreational fishing and shellfishing until May 4 as part of the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” initiative.
The April 9 Michigan boating order touched off an April 15 protest around the state’s capitol in Lansing.
It also served as the springboard for a potential lawsuit by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, a 70,000-member organization that expects to challenge the interpretation and enforcement of the state’s Executive Order.
It is, according to MLF pro and Michigan native Kevin VanDam, “unlike anything any of us have ever seen before.”
Morris Makes the Call for Reconnecting
On Easter weekend, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris released a video supporting social distancing and front-line medical workers. In the video, Morris also highlights the importance of fishing and outdoor recreation during the COVID pandemic.
“Today, I’m in the boat with my son J.P., who’s making this little film, and his dog Roscoe,” Morris said. “I just think in these rough times, one of the joys we have is to get outdoors in nature, and reconnecting with our families and friends.”
Bass Pro Shops supported that sentiment with a video reminder that “in these trying times, we need nature more then ever. We need nature to help us heal, and to reconnect with the ones we love the most.”
Morris and BPS have been on the leading edge of the curve as state and federal agencies consider limitations and outright closures of fishing and hunting opportunities because of COVID.
As reported by VanDam and Bass Pro Shops Sr. Director of Conservation Bob Ziehmer, Morris began communication in March with Secretary of the Interior David Burnhardt about potential public-land closures, and followed that up with tireless communication with other policy makers in Washington D.C.
Ziehmer and Morris have since kept in communication with the offices of the Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Defense, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies – which represents “the collective voice of state, provincial and territorial” wildlife-management agencies in North America – and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
In addition, communications have occurred among Ziehmer, Morris, and organizations as far-ranging as the American Sportfishing Association, the Army Corps of Engineers, Ducks Unlimited, Boone & Crockett, and the individual directors of state fish and wildlife-management agencies around the country.
That in addition to phone calls, emails and meetings with multiple conservation and resource-management organizations on both the state and federal levels, all with the same message: please keep our fisheries and outdoor accesses open.
“People need an opportunity to go out and recreate for their overall health,” Ziehmer said. “There’s just something about being on the water or in the woods that provides comfort to a lot of people. People are looking for those opportunities. They’re seeking comfort. And what better place to enjoy those opportunities than the wide open spaces of the out-of-doors?
“One of the most important things we have in life is happiness, and a lot of people with families are seeking that happiness with their families through a reconnection with nature. We’re all just calling for common sense in regulations and the behavior of individuals enjoying the out-of-doors. They’re compatible.”
Making it Work
As he chats with a reporter, VanDam highlights the fact that he – and the other tour-level bass pros fishing the Bass Pro Tour and similar professional circuits – finds himself at home in early spring for the first time in over 25 years. April and May are prime competition times in the world of tournament bass fishing, and VanDam expresses gratitude that he’s had opportunities to fish responsibly with his family prior to the Michigan boating closure.
“I’ve been home for four weeks straight, and that’s almost never happened this time of year, for any of us,” VanDam admits. “I’ve been able to spend some incredible quality time with my sons and my family that I’ve just never had the chance to experience before. And that’s been important time for all of us.”
It’s all been done with safety, responsible social distancing, and common sense in mind
“I believe there’s a really safe, smart, sensible solution to allow people to fish in most places,” VanDam said. “It makes sense to limit people congregating in small areas on lakes and rivers. But when we’ve fished as a family (during COVID), we’ve packed everything we needed for the day – all our food, all our drinks – we never stopped for gas, and we kept a safe distance from people at all times. It just doesn’t make common sense to me to shut down fishing, or to shut down certain kinds of boating. We can be smart and safe, but that shouldn’t mean shutting down fishing.”
Communication is Key
If Ziehmer has learned one thing during the COVID pandemic, it’s that communication is key.
With 50 state governments, hundreds of federal and state regulatory agencies and 330 million people in the United States alone, information and opinion are free-flowing, and next to impossible to corral from one day to the next.
But accurate, thoughtful communication is key.
“During these extremely difficult times, it’s more important than ever to communicate with leadership at all levels, so they truly understand the importance of access to land and water,” Ziehmer said. “There’s just a lot of information and a lot of confusion out there. But it’s important that we accept the responsibility to do our part: if your favorite fishing spot is full, go find a different spot. Support social distancing. As anglers and hunters and recreationalists, gaining distance and solitude fits right into our programming.”
Ziehmer anticipates continued communication and education to play key roles in keeping fishing opportunities and public access points open as the COVID curve flattens.
“We have deep appreciation for those state and federal leaders who have worked to keep appropriate lands and waters open,” he said. “We have ramps open and fishing accesses to use, and that’s positive on many fronts. As we continue these dialogues – and as we communicate the healing power of nature – let’s be sure that we have common-sense regulations, and that we exercise common-sense behavior as individuals. The outdoors is good for us, let’s be sure that we allow it to be part of the solution.”