Tony Friedrich admits he’s not a typical conservationist. He can be gruff. He can rattle cages. He doesn’t mince words. “I’m sort of a get-off-my-land-and-leave-me-alone kind of person,” he says, “but my people need fish in the water.”
His people are saltwater guides, foremost, and the anglers whose love of a day on the ocean, sound, or tidal river supports a massive recreational industry. As president and policy director of the American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA), Friedrich works to organize a group of famously independent people so the nonprofit can more effectively strive for fisheries conservation. Redfish, striped bass, and false albacore top the current focus list. In Louisiana, for instance, the ASGA lobbied successfully to tighten redfish catch limits that had not changed in more than thirty-five years. In North Carolina, Friedrich and his cohort rallied anglers to persuade the state to kick off much-needed basic regulations of false albacore, a fish with a growing following. And with his Chesapeake Bay address, Friedrich lives in the crosshairs of one of the biggest fights in marine resources these days and an issue in which the ASGA is deeply involved: the impact of massive industrial fishing for menhaden, a small, oily fish used in fertilizers and animal feed—and one that provides critical forage for striped bass and tarpon, among other popular game fish.
Marine resources conservation can be rough-and-tumble. Commercial fishermen and recreational anglers often cross swords. “It’s not like we’re some kind of preservationist group,” Friedrich says. “We’re not tying our flies on safety pins. We’re out there fishing. But the experience outweighs how many keepers you catch. The ASGA is a voice for that, and we want everyone under our tent.” Saltwater fisheries conservation lags decades behind freshwater conservation, Friedrich says. For too long, legislators considered recreational angling just a hobby. But for guides, it’s their job—and an industry worth more than $100 billion per year. “It’s taken a long time,” Friedrich says, “but we are shifting that narrative. My goal is to make sure my guides are still fishing in ten years, and that won’t happen unless we do something.”
Homebase: Eastern Shore of Maryland
Affiliations: American Saltwater Guides Association
Side Quest: While running an event at a Maryland fly shop, Friedrich saw his hero—fly-fishing legend Lefty Kreh—walk in. As Friedrich packed up, he heard a toilet flush. Out walked Kreh, who stuck his hand out, made a funny comment about not peeing on it, and said he’d help Friedrich’s career if he promised to conserve fisheries and teach kids about fishing. That’s all Friedrich has done since.
Read about all of G&G’s 2024 Champions of Conservation.
