About Us

 

Sen. Charles Schumer at Point Lookout, NY talking about saltwater fisheries issues as Federation president Jim Hutchinson looks on.

Sen. Charles Schumer at Point Lookout, NY talking about saltwater fisheries issues as the Federation’s Jim Hutchinson looks on.

A recognized 501(c)(4) non-profit, the New York Sportfishing Federation works not only to promote the sportfishing community in New York but also works with state legislators on protecting the interests of the community.  As per the New York Sportfishing Federation bylaws, the organization shall be managed by the Board which shall consist of not more than fifteen Directors, including the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Federation Officers
 President ;              Joe Paradiso
Vice-President:     Bob Danielson
Secretary:              Jeffrey Leavitt
Treasurer:              Tom Wallace
 
Federation Directors
Mike Barnett
John Malizia
John Meringolo
Tom Mikoleski
Reed Riemer
Jim Horhorst
 
The New York Sportfishing Federation is present and active at every single meeting of the Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC) in New York – key voting councilors are also Federation members and even board members! 
 

The New York Sportfishing Federation holds important seats on the New York State Fishing Advisory Board, South Shore Estuary Council, as well as the Citizens Action Committee for the Long Island Sound Study where we recently helped lead fellow members to exclude any mention of ‘marine reserves’ or ‘marine protected area’ designation from future efforts to protect and conserve resources on Long Island Sound, further protecting future opportunities for New York anglers.

New York Sportfishing Federation board members are also active at the regional level as well, working hard to ensure that our representatives at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council continually hear the collective voice for New York’s 291,000 saltwater anglers.

The Federation is also an active, voting member of the Partnership for Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Science (PMAFS), which is helping support important scientific efforts for our coastal resource management through work with independent scientists from Cornell and Rutgers.

 A nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization established in 1981, the New York Sportfishing Federation’s stated purposes is to:

      •  Develop and promote programs designed to protect and conserve the marine environment and fisheries in the area of the eastern seaboard of the United States of America, including, but not limited to the southern part of New York State and its environs;
      • Protect and promote the interests of the marine recreational fisher;

     

      • Disseminate, to marine recreational fishers and the general public, information concerning proposed laws, rules and regulations and those already passed, which relate to the marine environment, fisheries, and marine recreational and commercial fishing;

     

      • Distribute, to marine recreational fishers and the general public, research and other information concerning the marine environment, fisheries, and marine recreational and commercial fishing; and

     

    • Support any other purpose that is consonant with the protection of the marine environment and the interests of the marine recreational fisher.

501(c)(4) organizations operate exclusively for the promotion of social welfare, or local associations of employees with membership limited to a designated company or people in a particular municipality or neighborhood, and with net earnings devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes. 

501(c)(4) organizations may lobby for legislation, and unlike 501(c)(3) organizations they may also participate in political campaigns and elections, as long as campaigning is not the organization’s primary purpose.  

Contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations are not deductible as charitable contributions for the U.S. income tax. 501(c)(4) organizations are not required to disclose their donors publicly.