Thank you. In the current issue of BASSMASTER Magazine, there’s a great article by Wade Bourne on U.S. soldiers in Iraq who have found ways to cast rods during their leisure time – an impressive testament to the significance of the sport to Americans. As Wade writes in the introduction of his piece, “you can take a bass angler away from his fishing, but you can’t take the fishing away from the bass angler.”      

You know, I love to fish and have many stories to tell but, in front of this audience, I know better than to boast of my prowess as an angler. Even without any bragging rights though, it’s really great to be at this event with you again. At the 2002 BASSMASTER Classic, I told you about a comprehensive strategic plan under development for our fisheries program.

Today, it is with a sense of pride (and relief) that I can say this plan, which was developed through superb coordination among Service employees and a variety of partners including BASS, is indeed already beginning to “scale up” the outlook for our fisheries program. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Steven Griles as well as the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Assistant Director for Fisheries Mamie Parker have already outlined some of the successes that the fisheries program has recently enjoyed.

When I spoke with you two years ago, I said I was committed to putting the “fish” back in the Fish and Wildlife Service. Thanks to the same kind of cooperation that has been instrumental in crafting the plan, we are meeting our commitment. We are making huge strides in habitat and species conservation.  Working in concert with our conservation partners, important fisheries have rebounded. Witness the greenback cutthroat trout in Colorado, the Apache trout in Arizona, lake trout in the Great Lakes, paddlefish in the Heartland, and striped bass along the Atlantic coast.  In some cases, these fishes have returned from the brink of extinction to the point of contributing to regional economies with followings of ardent anglers, who in many cases contributed sweat equity in habitat conservation. They know that in the end, quality habitat and healthy fish will mean better fishing.

We’ve all heard the adage: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This could also easily apply as an analogy for the long-lasting conservation ethic that fishing and outdoor recreation instill. Teach a man to fish and you teach him by default a love and understanding and a concern for the ecology that produces fish for him in the first place. This undoubtedly accounts for many of the careers represented here in this room today. I know it largely accounts for my presence here today, and my interest in fisheries conservation.

As Mr. Griles remarked earlier, hunters and anglers have been the backbone of conservation from the get-go; and they will continue to be so in the future. I could not agree more. Indeed, hunters and anglers have built the foundation of modern conservation, and they now continue to play an enormous role.  But I would add that not only are hunters and anglers the backbone, they are oftentimes the first line of defense against threats to our natural resources. When they are on the land or on the water, sportsmen get to know it: they are usually the first to notice when something goes awry. They notice, for example, when native fish populations start to diminish, when sport fish show symptoms of disease, or when another snakehead is found, infesting the Potomac River.

And we have a long history of experience under our belts.  In 1871, with the support of Congress, commercial interests, and anglers Spencer Fullerton Baird established the U.S. Fish Commission in response to the crash of New England fisheries. That agency was the forerunner of today’s Fish and Wildlife Service. The Fisheries program is the oldest government conservation effort in history, and it began with a simple premise: to keep fish in our rivers and streams.

A year after the U.S. Fish Commission was created, Spencer Baird sought the input of state fish commissions and the American Fish Culture Association, precursor of today’s American Fisheries Society, on how to carry out the wishes of Congress. Today, States and groups like BASS and other fishing organizations are the direct descendants of these traditional partners and are among the Nation's leading conservationists. They make programs like the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program important fixtures in the world of conservation.

Of course, the challenges we face today in fisheries are substantially different and more complicated than they were in the 19^th century: Dams and other barriers now fracture river runs; Pollution and sedimentation are degrading some aquatic habitats; Ailments like whirling disease and large-mouth bass virus.

In trying to meet these various challenges, our strategies have changed. Fisheries managers have gone from stocking fish to mitigating the effects of federal water projects to managing for self-sustaining populations. About the only thing that hasn't changed is the steadfast support of conservation-minded anglers and fisheries professionals like you.

Over the years, our federal fisheries program became a patchwork of missions and responsibilities that left our budget and our focus fractured. Thankfully, because of the enduring and constant support of anglers, we now have an incredible framework – the Fisheries Strategic Plan – to help guide our various efforts in fisheries conservation.

I am profoundly grateful to the steering committee established by the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council to offer advice, thoughts and counsel about the strategic vision for the Service's fisheries program. The committee has 12 Service people, 3 from other Federal agencies, 8 from State agencies, 8 from non-government organizations, 5 from the private sector and 3 representatives from Native American tribes.

I am also grateful to and encouraged by the contributions of a former Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director for Fisheries and your new Conservation Director, Noreen Clough.  After she retired from the Fish and Wildlife Service but before she was hired by BASS, Noreen worked for the Sport Fish and Boating Partnership Council to manage the project that led to the "Saving A System in Peril" report on the hatchery system that was the precursor to the "Partnership Agenda" report. Needless to say, Noreen is an asset to both of our organizations. Likewise, Dean Kessel of BASS has served on the Sport Fish and Boating Partnership Council for at least two terms.

The Partnership Council's report, "A Partnership Agenda for Fisheries Conservation," represents an unprecedented effort on the part of the Service, States, Tribes and other partners interested in fish and aquatic resource conservation to begin the process of repositioning our Fisheries Program for success and to address current and future aquatic resource threats.

The Strategic Plan outlines a firm set of goals: it explains what we want to do, when we expect certain jobs to be done, and how we expect to do them. The plan identifies two causes at the root of the conservation problems we see in our waterways: invasive species and aquatic habitat loss. The plan also recognizes that no one agency can address all the fisheries issues of the day. It is going to take all of us, working together, to turn the tide, to make certain we act now to conserve aquatic resources for years to come. The commitments outlined in the plan are straightforward – protect the health of aquatic habitats, restore fish and other aquatic resources and provide opportunities for the public to enjoy the benefits.

Let me also be straightforward: improving access to premier fishing opportunities and recruiting new anglers will be essential in fulfilling all of our goals; and, as always, it will only be through mutual cooperation and partnership that we make progress.

The BASSMASTER Classic is a great event that shines a national spotlight on the great sport of fishing. When it is over, let’s keep that light shining, for our fisheries and for our future.  Thank you.