Ohio sportsmen are pushing for a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that would declare fishing and hunting are a right. Meanwhile in the Sunshine State, demands are increasing to up the Manatee to endangered species status again.
Whether it’s angling in the Buckeye State or dealing with Florida manatees, what happens through legislative or regulatory actions can impact boating interests. If approved by Ohio voters, adding a Section 22 to Article I of the constitution would establish rights, and in doing so would mean Ohio joins 23 other states that since 1996 have done so.
Modeled after rights legislation from the National Rifle Association, the Ohio amendment is backed by the International Order of T. Roosevelt, a fishing and hunting advocacy group named for the U.S. president. This organization reportedly is considering similar actions in Florida.
The Ohio bill is sponsored by Rep. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) and Rep. Nick Santucci (R-Howland Twp), along with 17 other lawmakers.
“In this climate, where there are so many arguments over what is a right and what’s not, I really think something that as a civilization, as a people have been doing since the dawn of time, is certainly a right,” Ferguson said.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is the primary opposition to the proposal. However, if it passes as a house joint resolution, the measure would go before voters in 2024.
Meanwhile, U.S. Fish & Wildlife officials have announced completion of 90-day findings on two Endangered Species Act petitions for uplisting Florida manatees from “threatened” designation to “endangered.” The ESA allows citizens to petition the service to add species to the Threatened and Endangered Species system. Based on initial review, both petitions are said to present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petition-requested actions may be warranted.
Specifically, one of the petitions requested that the West Indian manatee found in Florida be changed to endangered. Previous manatee actions over the years have resulted in a wide range of boating restrictions.
Of course, no one wants to harm manatees. The docile sea cow is a remarkable animal. The problem is the number of yearly manatee deaths has spiked since 2020. However, the main reason for this is believed to be a dwindling food supply, not collisions with boats. In fact, according to the Save the Manatee club, deaths from colliding with a boat were less than 10% of all deaths in 2022.
The real culprit is agricultural runoff and other pollutants that have led to both a decrease in habitat quality and an increase in algal blooms now known to kill the manatee’s main source of food, seagrass. In fact, federal wildlife officials are looking at revising definitions of what is considered “critical habitat” for the recovery of manatees.
At least 478 manatees have died so far this year, according to data from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. The a huge drop from the record 1,100 that died in 2020. Still, proponents claim uplisting the manatee would boost protection and solve the problem. But would it?
The Fish and Wildlife Service has 12 months to conduct status reviews and analyses, then will issue a 12-month finding determining if the petitioned actions are warranted.
In the meantime, impacted marine interests will have to monitor manatee uplisting activities and remain alert for attempts to justify more boat operating restrictions in the name of manatee protection.
