Sportfishing Industry Association Appoints Pacific Fisheries Policy Director

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is pleased to announce that Larry Phillips has joined ASA as its Pacific Fisheries Policy Director. Phillips most recently served as the Region 6 Director for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW). Phillips is based in Olympia, Wash.

“It’s my pleasure to welcome Larry to ASA’s Government Affairs team,” said Mike Leonard, ASA’s vice president of Government Affairs. “Larry is widely respected throughout the Pacific Northwest and has been a leader in the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. I have no doubt that the relationships he cultivated in both Washington and the entire West coast can help ASA tackle the region’s challenges.”

Leonard added that the association is well-served by having a team member who is based on the West coast.

Phillips has over 20 years of experience working for the WDFW. As Region 6 Director, Phillips managed ocean fisheries policy issues, worked to improve public access to fisheries and helped implement state laws and federal regulations relating to fisheries. He also managed fisheries found throughout the state’s lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams.

Phillips started his career in the WDFW working as a fish biologist, conducting assessments of fish populations and estimating the abundance of salmon and steelheads in inland waters. In addition, he also served on the Pacific Fishery Management Council representing Washington as a member of the Highly Migratory Species Management Team.

“I am honored to join ASA’s Government Affairs team,” said Phillips. “For nearly 90 years, ASA has been a leader in promoting healthy fisheries and expanding fishing access to the public. I look forward to continuing this mission and promoting ASA’s policy priorities up and down the Pacific coast.”

Phillips received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Lewis-Clark State College and received his Master’s degree in biology from Eastern Washington University.

Phillips’ interest in sportfishing and the outdoors was influenced by growing up and living in the Pacific Northwest. Larry, his wife Marci, and their four children enjoy fishing and crabbing on the lower Columbia River.

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association committed to representing the interests of the sportfishing and boating industries as well as the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry and anglers a unified voice when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring economic, conservation and social values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America’s 55 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways through Keep America Fishing, our national angler advocacy campaign. America’s anglers generate more than $50 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for 825,000 people.