Action Alert: House fisheries bill would harm Connecticut’s birds

Red-throated Loon. Photo by Patrick Comins

Please Note: This vote was postponed and is now scheduled for July 11.

Monday, June 25 – A bill being voted on tomorrow by the U.S. House of Representatives has the potential to do great harm to birds in Connecticut and beyond.

The bill is H.R. 200. It would change the very successful Magnuson-Stevens Act to allow fishermen to take more fish than the law currently allows.

Please call your House member and ask him or her to VOTE NO!

H.R. 200 could lead to long-term drops in the number of birds that rely on fish as a primary food source.

Birds such as loons, herons, egrets, Ospreys, and Bald Eagles, which have become such an important part of Connecticut’s environment in recent years.

The most efficient way to contact your House member is to click this link.

Type in your zip code. Click the mail icon under the photo. The Washington D.C. phone number is near the bottom of the page.

Here’s what to say:

Please vote no on H.R. 200. The Magnuson-Stevens Act is working. Fish populations are larger than they have been in decades. This is because of the science-based management required by the act.

The changes will undermine science-based management.

The number of fish allowed to be caught will rise and will no longer be based on scientific data.

The fishing industry is important, but birdwatching and wildlife observation is important to the economy too.

In Connecticut alone, 1.2 million people watch birds and other wildlife recreationally. That activity contributes almost $1 BILLION to the state’s economy each year.

Please vote NO on H.R. 200.

The vote is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 26!

Please make your voice heard today!