Introduction of the American Fisheries Management and Marine-Life Enhancement Act

INTRODUCTION OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND MARINE-LIFE ENHANCEMENT ACT -- (Extensions of Remarks - March 28, 2006)

* Mr. POMBO. Mr. Speaker, today my Colleagues, Barney Frank and Don Young, and I are introducing the American Fisheries Management and Marine-Life Enhancement Act. This legislation will reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act--the Nation's premier fishery conservation statute.

* This legislation continues to build on the tradition of allowing for regional solutions to regional fishery management problems by using a system of Regional Fishery Management Councils. These Councils offer a transparent process where those with a stake in the resource can be heard and can see how decisions on the management of the resource are made.

* This legislation keeps in mind a number of important principles which have kept the Magnuson-Stevens Act as relevant and dynamic as it is. We have tried to maintain a number of these key themes including: management must be science-based (with peer review that includes the public); there must be an open and transparent decision-making process with stakeholder involvement; there must be flexibility which recognizes that there is a need for regional solutions to regional problems; there is a need to minimize potential for lawsuits--fisheries management decisions should be made by the professionals not by the courts; there needs to be a balance between conservation and economic considerations; and finally, the Act needs to consider the impacts of management decisions on those communities which are dependent on the resource to remain viable communities.

* The management of our Nation's fisheries has always been a matter of balance. It is important to continue the balance between the health of the resource and the interests of the fishing industry to provide a healthy, sustainable protein source for the world. Without a sustainable, healthy resource, the fishermen would be out of business and without a fishing industry, the Nation would not have seafood to consume. This legislation maintains this balance and makes sure that the management decisions to maintain the balance are based on science. These decisions need to be made with adequate peer review and with the input of the affected and interested participants and this bill continues those ideals.

* Ten years ago, Congress passed the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA). That legislation was the first major reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and made major changes to the statute. The SFA amended or added 15 definitions, added three new National Standards (and amended one existing National Standard), added 8 new provisions which the Councils were required to comply with in drafting new fishery management plans (and required that all existing plans be amended to comply with the new provisions), included 5 new discretionary provisions for Councils to consider when developing fishery management plans, required thirteen new reports, and for the first time, included disclosure standards, conflict of interest standards, and recusal standards for members of the Regional Fishery Management Councils.

* The SFA focused on three major themes--the identification overfishing and a requirement for rebuilding overfished fisheries, the identification and conservation of essential fish habitat, and the reduction, to the extent practicable, of bycatch in our Nation's fisheries. All three of themes were important to making sure that fisheries were sustainable.

* The Sustainable Fisheries Act required major changes to the way the Nation's fisheries were managed--changes for the better. While the SFA was not perfect, it pushed the Councils and the Secretary to address some key issues to make our fisheries more sustainable. Since 1996--only ten years ago--we have seen tremendous progress in all three of these areas and the Nation's fisheries are in much better shape than they were less than a decade ago. But we can still do better. The American Fisheries Management and Marine-Life Enhancement Act will allow the Councils to gather better data, provide for the use of new technologies, provides new funding for ``clean gear'' technologies and does so without creating new areas for litigation.

* Congress has continued to discuss ideas which would make our fisheries more sustainable since the SFA was enacted. Members of Congress have participated in two major fisheries conferences here in Washington, D.C. that focused on how well or how poorly fisheries were being managed in the U.S. While the overall picture was getting better, these conferences sparked debate on the new steps that could be taken to make our fisheries better. This legislation builds on the recommendations of those conferences.

* The American Fisheries Management and Marine-Life Enhancement Act builds on the progress made by the Sustainable Fisheries Act, from the recommendations of the national fisheries conferences, from ideas floated at meetings with interested user groups, and from the report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.

* The Senate Commerce Committee, led by Co-Chairmen STEVENS and INOUYE, has passed reauthorization legislation that is clearly headed in the right direction and I compliment their leadership on this issue. I hope that the American Fisheries Management and Marine-Life Enhancement Act will be as well received as theirs was and I look forward to resolving the few differences we have before the end of the year.

* The American Fisheries Management and Marine-Life Enhancement Act takes a number of provisions from Senators STEVENS' and INOUYE's legislation, a number of provisions from the administration's proposed legislation, a number of recommendations from the Regional Fishery Management Councils, and recommendations from hearings both in Washington and in fishery-dependent communities.

* This bill addresses or touches on 11 of the 16 recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy which suggest changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Act and 6 of the remaining 11 recommendations that suggest changes to agencies' activities related to fisheries conservation or management.

* While this legislation may not be perfect, I believe it will move fisheries management in the right direction. I look forward to working with my House Colleagues and my Senate Colleagues to develop consensus legislation to reauthorize this important act before the end of the year.

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