With the encouragement of the Bush administration, the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council has developed a strategic vision for the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's fisheries program, which has struggled for years with inadequate budgets and deteriorating equipment.

The council, a presidentially-chartered group that includes representatives of states, tribes, academicians, federal agencies and conservation groups, unveiled its plan in January at the National Fisheries Leadership Conference in Washington.

Incredibly, the conference was the first such meeting held since the program's ancestral organization, the U.S. Fish Commission, was signed into law by President Ulysses .S. Grant in 1871.

The strategic vision is an impressive product, outlining a course to protect the health of aquatic habitats, restoring fish and other resources and providing opportunities for Americans to enjoy the benefits of healthy aquatic systems.

In fact, it was impressive enough that the president is asking for more than a $9 million increase in the fisheries budget in 2004 — $8.1 million for fish hatcheries and $1 million to fight invasive species.

This new plan lists seven focus areas: partnerships and accountability, aquatic species conservation and management, public use, cooperation with Native Americans, leadership in science and technology, aquatic habitat conservation and management, and workforce management.

The plan also lists criteria that will be used to justify current and potential actions and explains how each will be evaluated. It ensures that actions taken by the fisheries program will help achieve performance targets itemized in plans being developed by the Department of the Interior and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Notably, this new blueprint was not dictated by Washington but mostly created by people outside of Washington — people who know a great deal about fisheries management.

Both President Bush and Vice President Cheney are ardent anglers. Aside from enjoying fishing as recreation, they well know the immense value that this pastime has in so many places across the country.

Recreational fishing means jobs for thousands of Americans, and increases in local tax rolls. Around the country, fishing is part of the cement that contributes to strong families and communities.

The additional money requested by the President for fisheries next year won't by itself turn around a system that has been neglected and battered for far too long. But it is significant because it represents a change of direction — a change that means solid work with partners in both public and private life outside of Washington and that recognizes performance measures and a "bottom-line" return on the taxpayer's investment.

The work that the Fish and Wildlife Service's fisheries program takes on each year becomes more important and more difficult to accomplish. But we are on the way to making a real difference with a strong plan that will ensure a strong future for our nation's fisheries.