It's All About Boating Access

BoatUS remains on watch in our nation's capital to ensure recreational boating doesn't get lost in the fog of legislation.

Recreational boating advocates stress the importance of maintaining “access” to the water, but what does that mean? Maybe right now your boat is securely snug in its slip or on a trailer in the driveway ready to roll into another adventure. Access isn’t an issue for you. Or is it? Boaters can lose water access in ways more subtle than a “keep out” sign. For example:

• Infrastructure – A public launch ramp becomes hazardous from lack of maintenance, parking is inadequate, or a well-worn ramp closes due to local financial pressures.
• Navigation – Vital navigation channels fill in from lack of dredging, or a local ordinance closes a popular anchorage, altering or canceling seasonal transient migrations and cruiser itineraries.
• Fisheries – Ever-changing regulations on catch limits and designated seasons have recreational anglers caught between the commercial fishing industry pressures, conservationists’ efforts, and the government tasked with setting the rules. As the rules stand now, restrictions on mostly catch-and-release recreational anglers are negatively affected by the actions of the commercial fish harvesting industry.

Follow The Legislation

Since BoatU.S. is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, it’s worth noting our organization was created specifically to give voice to recreational boaters within the halls of Congress. Six decades later, BoatU.S. is still there, hard at work, and in the ear of legislators who vote on new boating laws and where federal funding is directed.

“While spending bills are passed every year, many government program budgets tend to run in three- to five-year cycles involving initial proposals, to congressional review, to approval, then execution, and finally ongoing review and evaluations,” explains David Kennedy, our Government Affairs manager. “Line items can be added, dropped, or changed at each stage of the process, so it’s important we keep our seat at the table with a continual presence in Washington.”

Topping BoatU.S.’s current priorities list is the reauthorization of both the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund and the infrastructure-focused Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, both of which are set to expire at the end of September.

The ‘Trust Fund’

For recreational boaters, the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Funddelivers the most bang for our tax buck. Central to this “user-pay, user-benefit” federal program is that it redirects the federal taxes boaters pay on fuel, fishing tackle, and import duties on boats and fishing gear back into local conservation and boating infrastructure projects.

Last year, the fund generated more than $790 million for fisheries conservation, boating infrastructure, and safety programs, and our Government Affairs team works to make sure that fund isn’t raided for other nonboating purposes. That funding furthers boater access through construction and maintenance of boat ramps, piers, and docks; fish stocking, habitat restoration, and population monitoring; construction and operation of recreational pump-out stations; and transient docking facilities for cruisers. “BoatU.S. actively works with other recreational boating and angling groups to ensure this crucial legislation passes,” Kennedy says.

What Is WRDA?

WRDA authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works projects. The 2026 version aims to address an estimated $100 billion USACE project backlog that includes updating aging dams and levees, and lots of dredging to keep ports and inland waterways safe for navigation. But the 2026 reauthorization also includes transitioning lease terms for USACE-managed marinas toward long-term performance-based leases (25- to 50 years) to incentivize private capital for infrastructure renewal. The bill would also streamline approvals for marina improvements. “We support local groups working to preserve boat ramps and marinas because access to stable infrastructure is essential to recreational boating,” says Kennedy.

Go Fish, No Fish

This year, Congress has already approved more than $3 million for South Atlantic red snapper research and management, addressing one of the hottest buttons for Atlantic coastal anglers frustrated by extremely short seasons, some years measured in days. There’s also a call to reconsider the fishing moratorium in Biscayne National Park, approving research funding to study Atlantic menhaden in Chesapeake Bay, and boosting fishing hatcheries for salmon and steelhead recovery in the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia River Basin.

Listen Up, Speak Up

Stay informed on boating access issues through BoatU.S. updates (­BoatUS.­quorum.us/issues) or get involved more directly by contacting your members of Congress and sharing stories about how waterway access and healthy waters impact your boating experience. “By paying attention and speaking up, you can help ensure that our waterways remain open, safe, and enjoyable for all,” Kennedy says.