Alexandria, VA – February 3, 2026 – Earlier today, a group of bipartisan lawmakers led by Reps. Matsui (D-CA), Malliotakis (R-NY), Dexter (D-OR), Buchanan (R-FL), Elfreth (D-MD), and Carter (R-GA) introduced the Whale CHARTS (Conservation Habitat Analysis, Research, and Technical Strategies) Act. This bill will take meaningful action to better monitor whale movements, reduce vessel strikes and improve access to our oceans.
“Recreational anglers are among our nation’s leading conservationists, with a deep and longstanding commitment to the health of marine ecosystems,” said Glenn Hughes, President and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association. “The Whale CHARTS Act will improve our understanding of whale ranges and movements, ensuring managers have sound data to better conserve these species while also helping to minimize vessel strikes. Better data leads to better outcomes for whales, ocean users, and the marine environment we all depend on.”
The Whale CHARTS Act takes an innovative and constructive approach to mitigating risk of vessel strikes by investing in improved data and supporting the development and deployment of whale detection and awareness technologies. By strengthening the scientific foundation for decision-making and supporting tools that can be applied on the water, the legislation advances meaningful conservation outcomes while helping ensure the public can safely recreate on the water.
Of particular importance to the sportfishing industry is Subsection (e) of the bill, which would authorize a grant program to support the development, testing and scaling of innovative whale detection technologies. This approach will help accelerate practical, on-the-water solutions and address critical data gaps that have complicated effective management and compliance.
In a similar concept as this grant program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation distributed $3.9 million to eight projects in 2025 as a result of Inflation Reduction Act funding.
In addition to broad support in Congress, the Whale CHARTS Act also has support from sportfishing and marine industry groups as well as ocean conservation organizations.
ASA appreciates the leadership of the bill’s cosponsors in seeking durable solutions to whale conservation and fisheries access, and we look forward to working with our partners in Congress, federal agencies and others in the conservation community to seeing this important legislation across the finish line.
The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association committed to representing the interests of the sportfishing and boating industries as well as the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry and anglers a unified voice when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring economic, conservation and social values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America’s 57.7 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways through Keep America Fishing, our national angler advocacy campaign. America’s anglers generate more than $50 billion in retail sales with a $230.5 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for 1.1 million people.
