The Take Marlin off the Menu Campaign Makes Great Strides!
Billfish Conservation Act of 2010 Introduced to U.S. Congress
July 21, 2010 was a momentous day for IGFA’s Take Marlin off the Menu campaign. House of Representatives Bill 5804, also known as the Billfish Conservation Act of 2010, was officially introduced to the 111th United States Congress. The bill is sponsored by Representative John Shadegg (R-AZ) and co-sponsored by Representatives Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL).
The Take Marlin off the Menu campaign began nearly two years ago when a study commissioned by IGFA revealed that the United States was the world’s biggest importer of billfish. Since that time, IGFA and the National Coalition for Marine Conservation have focused the campaign extensively on educating the American public as to what billfish are, their role in marine ecosystems, and their imperiled status from commercial overfishing. The Billfish Conservation Act of 2010 is the culmination of the campaign’s efforts thus far and, if approved and made law, will put a complete stop to commercial harvest, sale and importation of billfish in the United States.
Soon we will need your help! Once the Senate companion bill is introduced, we will post a letter of support on the IGFA website (www.igfa.org) and Take Marlin off the Menu website (www.takemarlinoffthemenu.org) that you can download and send to your local Congressperson. Together with your help, we can ensure that no marlin, sailfish or spearfish will ever be sold or imported into the United States again.
