Friends and Enemies of Fish in Congress

Who are the "Best Friends of Fish" and who are the "Worst Enemies of Fish" in the U.S. Congress? Who should the nation's 70 million fishermen vote for (and against) in Congressional elections? Do YOU know?

"Best Friends" and "Worst Enemies" of Fish in the U.S. House of Representatives (Based on their voting for or against fish at least 90% of the time.)

As described in the Overview section (see link at bottom), we've evaluated the position each of the 535 Members of Congress took on a series of 125 key fishery-related issues over the last four years.  They included clean water, wetlands, fishery management, endangered species, land and water use, and a variety of related conservation issues.  (Descriptions of the Issues selected for evaluation and the Rankings by state can be found using the link at the bottom of this page.)

From the Rankings, we developed a list of the "Best" and the "Worst" voting records for those Senators and Representatives who set the highest and lowest standards relative to the interests of fish and to fishermen.  To be selected for the special honor of being among the "Best Friends of Fish" in Congress, a Member would have had to vote for the long-term interests of fish and for fishermen at least 90% of the time (including no "wrong" votes on critical issues).  Alternatively, for those Senators and Representatives who distinguished themselves by voting at least 90% of the time against the interests of fish, their environment and thus fishermen's long-term interests, we included them on the list of the "Worst Enemies of Fish" in the U.S. Congress.  The recipients from the House of Representatives are as follows:

Best Friends of Fish

Worst Enemies of Fish

Democrats

Republicans

Republicans

Democrats

Thompson, M. Matsui Woolsey Miller, Geo. Pelosi Lee Taucher Lantos Eschoo Honda Lofgren Farr Capps Sherman Schiff Waxman Becerra Solis Watson Roybal-Allard Napolitano Waters Harman Millender-    McDonald Sanchez Davis, S. Filner DeGette Udall, M. Larson DeLauro Maloney, J. Wexler Deutsch

McKinney Abercrombie Mink Jackson Gutierrez Blagojevich Davis, D. Schakowsky Carson, J. Allen, T. Baldacci Carden Wynn Cummings Olver McGovern Franck Tierney Markey Capuano Lynch Delahunt Rivers Conyers McCollum Luther Gephardt McCarthy Andrews Pallone Pascrell Rothman Payne Holt Menendez

Udall, T. Ackerman Nadler Weiner Velazquez Rangel Engel Lowey McNulty Hinchey LaFalce Price Kucinich Tubbs Jones Brown, S. Sawyer Wu DeFazio Hooley Fattah Hoeffel Coyne Kennedy, P. Langevin Doggett Inslee Larsen Baird McDermott Baldwin Kind Kleczka Barrett, T. Obey

Gilman LoBiondo Shays Saxton Boehlert Morella

Whitfield Lewis, R. Northrup Rogers, H. Fletcher Vitter Tauzin McCrery Cooksey Baker Smith, N. Rogers, M. Knollenberg Gutknecht Wicker Pickering Akin Graves Blunt Emerson Hulshof Rehberg Terry Osborn Gibbons Wilson Skeen Jones Burr Coble Hayes Myrick Ballenger Taylor, C.

Oxley Hobson Boehner Tiberi Regula Largent Watkins Watts Istook Lucas, F. Walden Patterson, J. Schuster, Wm. Toomey Pitts Gekas Spence DeMint Thune Jenkins Wamp Hilleary Bryant Johnson, S. Sessions, P. Barton Culberson Brady Granger Thornberry Combest Smith, L. DeLay Bonilla

John Hall, R. Stenholm Shows Traficant

Calahan Everett Riley Aderholt Bachus Young Flake Stump Shadegg Hayworth Boozman Herger Doolittle Pombo Radanovich Thomas, W. Gallegly McKeon Dreier Royce Lewis, J. Miller, Gar. Calvert Bono Rohrabacher Cox Issa Schaffer Tancredo Miller, J. Crenshaw Mica Keller Kingston

Armey Hansen Cannon Schrock Forbes Goodlatte Cantor Wolf Hastings, D. Nethercutt Cubin

Independents

Independents

Sanders

Goode

Ratings Overview Alabama through Kentucky Louisiana through Oregon Pennsylvania through Wyoming "Best and Worst" - Senate Members List of Issues Used in the Ratings Home

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