This is an interview Obama gave Sport Fishing Magazine. Romney declined the interview. Interesting read if you have the time.
In May, both the Obama and Romney campaigns agreed to answer a series of questions on fisheries issues/policy vital to U.S. recreational fishermen as part of an exclusive interview to be published in the September/October issue of Sport Fishing. By June, both campaigns informed us that their presumptive candidate and staff were working on their answers, and promised we would have them by our absolute deadline. Unfortunately, neither campaign kept that promise, as we received neither response in time for publication in SF. We then informed both campaigns that we could still get their thoughts on the record and into public view via our web site.
The result:
The Obama campaign provided us with the presidents official response, and you can read it here.
The Romney campaign said it had decided to decline this opportunity. That is why you are seeing only one of the presumptive candidates answers.
It had been our primary objective from the start, as we pointed out to each campaign, to let Americas 12 million saltwater anglers see both presumptive candidates responses to critical fisheries issues.
Each campaign had the same opportunity to speak to us. And we informed both campaigns very clearly that while we hoped both would respond, we would run only one response if that was all we could get.
We regret that both presidential campaigns didnt take advantage of this opportunity, but you still have the unique chance here to read (and comment on) one candidates thoughts on vital fisheries issues.
Issue 1 - Red Snapper Quotas
Background: Red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico and black sea bass in the South Atlantic have become iconic to many recreational fishermen as examples of federal fisheries management gone completely off the tracks. For some years, empirical evidence and, more recently, statistical evidence as well has established beyond doubt the great abun