Anglers Introduce “CAST Principles”
News for Immediate Release
February 11, 2009
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Anglers Introduce “CAST Principles”
Coalition of sport fishermen unveils principles to guide debate over offshore energy development
WASHINGTON—A broad coalition of recreational anglers today called on the members of Congress about to consider offshore energy leasing and development to employ its “CAST Principles,” a set of core tenets designed to promote the conservation of marine fisheries.
The Angling 4 Oceans Coalition, which aims to shape important coastal fisheries laws, advanced the principles as the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources gathered for the first in a series of hearings on offshore energy development.
“We’ve seen horrible and avoidable population declines in fish and wildlife populations following the most recent energy development boom in the Intermountain West,” said TRCP President and CEO
The “CAST Principles” are as follows:
Conservation
Conservation concerns must top all others. A network of conservation areas – places simply too valuable to drill – must be established before offshore energy leasing and development proceed. Those places crucial to the vitality of fish populations, recreational anglers and coastal economies should be placed off-limits to leasing. Concurrently, the Minerals Management Service, the agency responsible for overseeing offshore development, must adopt and adhere to a new standard operating procedure that strives to balance the concerns of all ocean users.
Allocation
Allocations of the royalties paid to the federal government by industry for offshore energy development must be used in ways that benefit fish and wildlife resources, including expanded marine research and fisheries management initiatives, via state and federal programs.
Science
Science-based, adaptive management strategies that respond continually to emerging information should be required for all offshore energy development projects. These strategies should begin with species inventory, include population monitoring and analysis, and carry through to the mitigation phase. Where gaps in data exist, they must not be used to justify development. Rather, they must serve to highlight areas where additional study is immediately necessary.
Transparency
Transparency must characterize the management of all public trust resources. Not only does this mean that the decisions affecting our shared aquatic species must be made in a manner that allows public oversight, it also means that public comment must be addressed and integrated during the decision-making process.
“The CAST principles are about conservation of coastal resources and associated economies today, and about a legacy for tomorrow,” said Aaron Adams, Director of Operations for the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. “The responsible approach to offshore development called for by the CAST principles ensures a healthy future.”
“We have learned that oil and gas can be developed responsibly, and there is no need to sacrifice the renewable resources of our oceans to do it,” said James T. Martin, Conservation Director of the Berkley Conservation Institute. “We need to be precautionary and adaptive in our approach and that is what the CAST principles are all about. We look forward to working with the Department of the Interior to develop these strategies.”
Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.
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