Guest Commentary: In the Battle for Public Lands, Don't Forget America's Marine and Inshore Waters

As threats to federal lands mobilize defenders, America's vital coastal and ocean ecosystems face similar dangers. The missing piece in public lands conservation.

May 22, 2025 By Brian Bennett

Public lands have rightfully gained defenders amid proposals suggesting their sale to address budget concerns. The Conservation Alliance's recent letter, signed by nearly 50 outdoor industry businesses from REI to Patagonia, makes a compelling economic case for keeping federal lands in public hands. However, an equally vital part of America's natural heritage remains vulnerable: our marine and inshore waters.

Like public lands, protected marine waters will be sold under the current administration policies for oil drilling, open ocean aquaculture, and deep-sea mining. This alarming development threatens these precious ecosystems and the economic benefits they provide to coastal communities and the nation.

While the Alliance persuasively argues that the $1.2 trillion outdoor economy depends on accessible public lands, our oceans, coastal estuaries, and marine sanctuaries deserve the same protections. These aquatic environments aren't merely scenic backdrops. They're economic powerhouses, supporting coastal communities, commercial fisheries, and recreational activities that sustain millions of American jobs.

The outdoor participation numbers are clear: over 175 million Americans, 57.3% of the population, participated in outdoor recreation in 2024, with national parks alone seeing 332 million visitors. Many of these recreation experiences involve marine habitats, whether deep-sea fishing, coastal kayaking, or simply enjoying shoreline landscapes.

Just as the Conservation Alliance notes that lawmakers should "listen to local voices" on public lands management, these same voices overwhelmingly support the protection of the coastal watersheds and marine environments that connect to those lands.

From a business perspective, the calculus is straightforward:

The Conservation Alliance emphasizes that public lands provide an excellent return on investment. The entire federal land management budget totaled just $12.5 billion in FY2024 while supporting a trillion-dollar recreation economy. The same economic multiplier applies to marine environments. National marine sanctuaries generate millions in economic activity and support coastal tourism. Companies selling kayaks, fishing gear, and marine technology aren't just marketing products; they're investing in the continued accessibility and health of America's marine waters.

The Conservation Alliance's closing argument applies equally to marine environments: "Any effort to pull away from this ownership framework through large-scale land transfers or private contracts would be detrimental to access, sustainable use of these lands, and the health of our vibrant, trillion-dollar, outdoor economy." This statement rings even more true when we consider our blue public spaces.

The current administration's policies threatening to open protected marine waters to oil drilling, open ocean aquaculture, and deep-sea mining represent the privatization that has mobilized defenders of public lands. These extractive industries would fundamentally alter these ecosystems and restrict public access to what should remain common resources.

An aerial photo of a sandy spit/beach on a bay-like water next to tall, snow-capped mountains. — The inshore end of a sand spit in Alaska's College Fjord area. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska ShoreZone Program NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC; Courtesy of Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC)

The connection between land and marine ecosystems cannot be overlooked as Congress debates fiscal priorities and public land policies. Any policy framework that treats public lands and coastal waters as separate entities misunderstands their ecology and economy. From shorelines, protected by national seashores, to the deep waters of marine sanctuaries, these systems function as a whole.

As the debate about public resource management continues, America's marine waters deserve the same passionate advocacy as its lands. They're not separate conversations but part of the same national treasure, deserving equal protection and stewardship for future generations.

We must extend the same vigilance and advocacy that has arisen to protect public lands and our marine environments.

Zach Peyton from South Fork Lodge covers the often-confusing technique of mending in this segment. Mending is imperative for effective nymphing. He provides a review of when and how to use larger mends, micro mends, and related pointers. Join Zach for a comprehensive overview of Indicator Nymphing in this course. It explores the journey of discovering nymphing as a powerful and essential fly fishing technique, beyond the traditional dry fly approach. Through personal storytelling and practical instruction, it highlights how learning to fish below the surface opened up a whole new world of opportunity and understanding. Viewers will gain insight into tactics, gear, fly presentation, hook sets, and how to land fish efficiently and responsibly. Whether you're a dry fly purist curious about adding nymphing to your toolkit or a beginner wanting to catch more fish Zach's course will give you the knowledge and confidence to fish effectively below the surface. The course explores the journey of discovering nymphing as a powerful and essential fly fishing technique, beyond the traditional dry fly approach. Zach is a veteran guide at South Fork Lodge in Swan Valley, Idaho, where he's been sharing his passion for fly fishing since 2002. Born and raised in Pocatello, he's fished southeastern Idaho's waters since childhood.

Destinations/Species

Fish Camp's Trout Foundations: Where Trout Live

Destinations/Species

Fish Camp's Trout Foundations: Where Trout Live

Riffles, eddies, troughs and more...These are all prime areas of rivers that can hold trout. instructor Mike Dawes breaks down the different types of moving water that fly anglers should target when chasing trout. Dawes is the managing partner at West Bank Anglers and a lifelong fly fisherman with over 45 years of experience on the water. His passion for fishing began early and deepened after a life-changing medical event, inspiring him to dedicate his life to the sport. Fish Camps's Trout Foundations course breaks down the fundamentals of fly fishing in a way that is easy to follow, approachable, and fun. You'll learn what fly fishing is, how to get started, and the essential techniques and knowledge needed to be successful on the water.

Fly Tying

Jake Villwock on the “Godfathers” of bass, favorite flies, and why bass turn black

Fly Tying

Jake Villwock on the “Godfathers” of bass, favorite flies, and why bass turn black

Fly tier Jake Villwock grew up the son of a commercial fisherman, and is now a Pennsylvania fly-fishing guide for smallmouth, Great Lakes steelhead, and spring creek trout. Jake is also a fly-tying innovator and author of the book Smallmouth Bass Flies Top to Bottom. Jake and Fly Fisherman editor/publisher Ross Purnell debate the age-old question, “What's better, bass or trout?” They talk about frog patterns for trout and bass, the “Godfathers of Bass” (Clouser, Kraft, and Whitlock), and dive into the creative process behind Jake's match-everything baitfish pattern called The Roamer. Listen to the end and you'll learn some unusual secrets about how to catch muskies on small flies, how to target mudding carp, and why some smallmouths turn black.

Gear

Fly Tying with Natural Shade Tapered Brushes

Gear

Fly Tying with Natural Shade Tapered Brushes

Northeast Ohio Angling's Matt Redmond walks us through using Just Add H20's Natural Shade Tapered Brushes when tying Game Changers. This material amounts to a cheat code for getting a naturally proportioned taper, which is so crucial to our flies. These brushes, tapered from two and a half inches down to half an inch, can do the job of three separate, uniform-length brushes, creating a fully tapered body with little or no trimming required. They were specifically designed to allow tiers to create a full Game Changer with a single brush without trimming each successive segment to length. Incorporating high-quality synthetic products like Natural Shade Tapered Brushes can improve both our tying and fishing experience.

Destinations/Species

A Classic Pennsylvania Sulphur Hatch

Destinations/Species

A Classic Pennsylvania Sulphur Hatch

This dense sulphur hatch in Pennsylvania demonstrates why the sibling hatches of Little Sulphurs and Pale Morning Duns get fly anglers excited from coast to coast. There are good reasons these mayflies are important to both sets of fly fishers. (Dennis Pastucha video)

How-To/Techniques

André Brun Demonstrates the Backhand Snake Roll Fly Cast

How-To/Techniques

André Brun Demonstrates the Backhand Snake Roll Fly Cast

This is an instructional film on how to do the backhand snake roll including an air mend at the end, to get a drag free drift. This film is done with Brun's regular 5 weight rig for brown-trout dry-fly fishing with a delicate fly line, suitable for presentations to spooky trout in clear water.

Fly Tying

Tim Cammisa

Fly Tying

Tim Cammisa

Tim Cammisa has been a guide on the Delaware River, a professional fly tier for 30 years, and his hundreds and hundreds of videos on YouTube and other social media platforms have reached around the globe with more than 17 million views and counting.

How-To/Techniques

Fly Tier's Bench: Bakko's Phat Azz Hopper

How-To/Techniques

Fly Tier's Bench: Bakko's Phat Azz Hopper

Kyle Bakko is a new Umpqua Feather Merchants signature tier, and his patterns stand out for their practicality and creativity. Bakko's use of multilayered foam bodies and foam cutters, and his eye for accuracy and proportion, make his flies stand out in the increasingly crowded new-fly world. His Phat Azz Hopper has an incredibly creative head, and while designed to suspend heavy droppers, trout also smash it on top. But we could have just as easily run his unusual Big Sky Hopper pattern, which is tied on a jig hook. In fact, we could have blindly chosen any one of his new flies for the Fly Tier's Bench. Bakko does a lot of float fishing, and his usual method includes a dry/dropper rig on rivers like the Stillwater, Shoshone, and Yellowstone. Big droppers like Pat's Rubber Legs or crayfish imitations require a buoyant dry to hold them up, and Bakko was unsatisfied with previous offerings, so he set about to create a magnum foam hopper that would do the job.

Ed Jaworowski's Fly Casting Video Series, Video 3: Critical Angle

The "critical angle" in fly casting, defined by Ed Jaworowski as the angle between the rod and the line at the start of the cast (assuming no slack), is crucial for determining how efficiently the rod loads. Ed talks about how a wider angle, approaching 180 degrees, maximizes mechanical efficiency, loading the rod deeper for greater energy storage and longer casts with less effort, whereas a 90-degree angle is less efficient, loading only the tip, suitable for shorter casts. This is the third in a series of five articles examining the physics and mechanics that determine the outcomes of all casts, based on Ed Jaworowski's nearly 70 years of casting, testing, experimentation, teaching, and consulting with physicists, kinesiologists, and engineers.

How-To/Techniques

Nymphing Is A Drag

How-To/Techniques

Nymphing Is A Drag

Jim Cox believes that sometimes adding movement to your fly is the best way to catch fish. Watch him demonstrate his J-hook nymphing technique to add movement and keep a tight line at all times to detect more strikes.

Fly Tying

Blane Chocklett: fly-tying innovator & guide, reveals new flies & relationship with Lefty and ASGA

Fly Tying

Blane Chocklett: fly-tying innovator & guide, reveals new flies & relationship with Lefty and ASGA

In episode three, editor/publisher Ross Purnell chats with longtime FLY FISHERMAN magazine contributor Blane Chocklett about how he got started in fly fishing, his early influencers Harrison Steeves and Steve Hiner, how he created the Game Changer, new patterns that will be revealed this summer, his new role as a fly-tying entrepreneur, and his decades-long relationship with Lefty Kreh. Blane is also an ambassador for the American Saltwater Guides Association. We dig into their efforts to fund baseline research on false albacore and jack crevalle, and their upcoming Lefty's Tie Fest in Vero Beach, Florida.

News

Jay Nichols

News

Jay Nichols

Jay Nichols has been an editor, publisher, photographer, videographer, and author for more than 25 years and has produced some of the most iconic and influential fly-fishing books, including “Casting with Lefty Kreh” (2008).