MAPWaters Act Would Digitize Information On Federal Waterways, Improving Access

The Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act has been sent to President Donald Trump for signing after passing a vote in the Senate. The bill, once signed, would improve recreation on federal waterways by investing in modern technology to provide anglers, hunters, boaters, and other water users the information needed to safely and legally access and utilize public waters administered by federal agencies, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

The bipartisan legislation was led by U.S. Senators John Barrasso, R-WY, and Angus King, I-ME, and Representatives Blake Moore, R-UT, Jimmy Panetta, D-CA, Russ Fulcher, R-ID, and Debbie Dingell, D-MI.

Once enacted, the bill would direct federal agencies to digitize water and fishing access and recreational use information on federal waterways and to make those resources readily available to the public. Federal waterways include any portion of a body of water managed, or partially managed, by the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service.

“Federally managed waters provide millions of American anglers and hunters with innumerable opportunities to fish and hunt,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The MAPWaters Act will digitize and clarify the complex rules of public waterways and make them readily available to all to ensure Americans recreate legally and safely on our public waters.”

The newly digitized public information would include:

• Status information on which waterways are open or closed to entry or watercraft, including watercraft inspection or decontamination requirements.
• The areas of waterways with restrictions on motorized propulsion, horsepower, or gasoline fuel.
• Types of watercraft that are restricted on each area of a waterway, including the permissibility of canoes, rafts, motorboats, airboats, oversnow vehicles on frozen bodies of water, etc.
• The location and geographic boundaries of fishing restrictions on recreational and commercial fishing, including full or partial closures, no-take zones, and fishing restrictions within or surrounding marine protected areas.
• Fishing restrictions concerning specific types of equipment or bait, such as restrictions on the use of barbed hooks or live bait and requirements with respect to catch and release.

“We’re excited that the MAPWaters Act is headed to the President’s desk,” said Laura Orvidas, CEO of onX, a mapping app for outdoor enthusiasts. “For hunters, anglers, and paddlers, knowing where to legally and responsibly access our waterways is essential. By digitizing complex water access information, this legislation provides the outdoor community with the critical data they need to access, explore, and protect our public waters. We’re proud to support this effort to make water access more transparent and available—both now and for future generations.”

This information set to be digitized is currently difficult to track down, as it is housed in agency documents. For example, in the Code of Federal Regulations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service includes 42 pages worth of National Wildlife Refuge specific recreation rules.

“Knowing where to go fishing and what you can do when you get there is basic information all anglers need for a successful day on the water,” said Lindsay Slater, vice president of government affairs for Trout Unlimited. “Trout Unlimited applauds the passage of the MAPWaters Act and thanks the bill’s sponsors for shepherding this legislation through Congress. This law will simplify information for anglers to access and use waters managed by federal agencies, including decontamination requirements to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, helping to better inform anglers while also stewarding our fisheries.”