President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Thursday that he says will increase healthy wild game and fish populations and open more public land and waters for hunting and fishing.
Trump signed the orders—Restoring American Salt Water and Angling Recreation and Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage—flanked by outdoor sportsmen and industry representatives during a ceremony in the Rose Garden.
The orders are meant to reverse restricted access to public lands and waters, enhance the wild game and fish populations, and promote hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation, especially for veterans and the young.
The orders call on the secretaries of Commerce, Interior, Agriculture, War, and the Veterans Administration, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard, to work with state governments and the private sector to adopt a “presumption of accessibility” for the public.
The president said that under his administration, 92 million acres of public land have already been opened to the public after being closed for decades.
“We believe that public lands belong to the American people and to the public. And hunters, fishers, and outdoorsmen should be able to access them,” Trump said.
The Restoring American Salt Water and Angling Recreation order calls for the modernization of data collection from sport fishermen and charter boat captains. This will provide more accurate and up-to-date data on the size of the catch and the type of fishing involved. This information is important when setting regulations.
The order also calls on federal officials to come up with plans for turning decommissioned structures in the ocean, such as oil and gas platforms, into artificial reefs. It also calls on NOAA to develop plans for artificial reefs in National Marine Sanctuaries and Marine Monuments within 60 days.
Under that requirement, NOAA is ordered to ensure the permitting process is “transparent” and promotes public use.
“I’m doing this to do what’s right,” Trump said.
The Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage order reverses a rule adopted under the Biden administration that outlawed the use of lead shot and fishing tackle on certain federal lands.
Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) opened three national wildlife refuges (NWRs) to hunting and fishing but prohibited lead shot and lead fishing tackle at eight NWRs in five states.
They’re the Blackwater NWR and Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland; the Chincoteague, Eastern Neck, and Wallops Island NWRs in Virginia; the Erie NWR in Pennsylvania; the Great Thicket NWR in Massachusetts; and the Rachel Carson NWR in Maine.
According to the FWS at the time, the rule was meant to protect wildlife and humans who consumed wild game, from lead poisoning.
The FWS stated that the best available science showed possible health issues tied to the use of lead in hunting and fishing.
Meanwhile, representatives of the firearms industry criticized the rule as being based on politics, not science, and was meant to force hunters and fishermen to use costlier and less effective alternatives.
At Thursday’s ceremony, Trump said he didn’t know whether lead shot was the best. But he said his administration is committed to protecting public access.
National Shooting Sports Foundation President and CEO Joe Bartozzi was in the Rose Garden and said his organization has worked closely with the Trump Administration on the policies.
“This is a tremendous victory to ensure that America’s hunting heritage is protected for today’s hunters and the coming generations of outdoorsmen and women,” Bartozzi said in a statement released after the signing.
In addition to the rule reversal, the order calls on the heads of the Departments of War, Agriculture, Interior, and Commerce to review access regulations of the lands they are responsible for, excluding national parks and monuments, and devise policies to allow more public access.
This includes promoting volunteer guide programs, and allowing for construction of infrastructure to aid in hunting, fishing, shooting, and other outdoor activities. The order gives the officials 180 days to propose the new policies.
The order also calls for reviewing policies on migratory bird hunting, and devising programs to cultivate hunting for veterans and young people. It also calls for federal officials to work with state agencies and private landowners to manage habitats for wild game and fish.
The orders noted that outdoor recreation, including boating, fishing, hunting, and shooting, generates $1.2 trillion annually and supports 5 million jobs. This makes the activities an “important consideration in federal ocean, coastal and public land decision making.”
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