Austin News

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz and Senator Angus King have reintroduced the Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans (MAPOceans) Act. This legislation aims to standardize, digitize, and map fishing restrictions in federal waters. It follows a previous law that provided reliable information about hunting on public lands.

Chairman Cruz expressed his support for the initiative, stating, “Many Texans and Americans enjoy recreational fishing and boating, but it can be difficult to find reliable information about access to waterways and restricted areas.” He emphasized the importance of providing easy access to accurate information on fishery area closures.

Senator Angus King highlighted Maine's Atlantic coastline as a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. He said, “The bipartisan MAPOceans Act would digitize and combine all the available information about ocean recreation and navigation into a centralized hub you can hold in the palm of your hand.”

The MAPOceans Act builds upon the 117th Congress's Modernizing Access to Our Public Lands Act (MAPLand Act), which was led by Senators King and Jim Risch with Chairman Cruz as a cosponsor. The MAPLand Act required standardization and digitization of access boundaries for hunting and fishing but did not include data on federal ocean fisheries.

Notably, the MAPOceans Act does not authorize or appropriate any federal spending.