Pallone Requests Hearing on Bill to Increase Fisheries Management Flexibility
May 19, 2010
“All over the country recreational and commercial fishermen are facing hard times,” said Pallone. “Congress must act on behalf of our fishermen who are feeling the effects of an economic recession, overly restrictive fishing quotas and fishery closures. My legislation will allow for common sense flexibility in the law that will help save fishing communities and prevent fishermen from being punished at no fault of their own.”
In the letter below, Pallone requests that the chairman hold a hearing on the legislation and give priority consideration to his bill in light of the difficulties facing fishing communities.
May 19, 2010
Chairman Nick Rahall
Committee on Natural Resources
U.S. House of Representatives
1334 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Chairwoman Madeleine Bordallo
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife
Committee on Natural Resources
U.S. House of Representatives
1334 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chairman Rahall and Chairwoman Bordallo:
I am writing to request that the Natural Resources Committee hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 1584, the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009. Last year, I introduced this legislation to provide a level of responsible flexibility in how our Nation’s fisheries are managed.
This past February, approximately 3,000 recreational and commercial fishermen came to Washington D.C. to rally against overly restrictive management of fisheries and to support my legislation. This rally reinforced my belief, and that of many of our colleagues in Congress, that action needs to be taken.
Under the new Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management Act (Magnuson) - passed by Congress in 2006 - when a fishery is identified as overfished, a Regional Fishery Management Council has two years to implement a plan to end overfishing, and with limited exceptions, to rebuild the stock within 10 years. However, this 10-year deadline is arbitrary, may have no basis in science, may require stocks to be rebuilt to unprecedented levels, and must be met without regard to the impact it will have on recreational and commercial fishermen, related industries, and the communities whose economic future depends on harvesting the fish.
H.R. 1584 provides a measure of flexibility in the rebuilding periods in order to help keep fishing communities economically viable, without compromising the ultimate rebuilding goal. The bill will continue the 10 year rebuilding timeframe established in Magnuson, unless certain common sense exceptions apply. Among the reasons for exception are that the rebuilding program cannot be effective only by limiting fishing activities or that the biomass rebuilding target exceeds the highest abundance of the stock of fish in the 25 year period preceding and there is evidence that the stock is on a positive rebuilding trend.
The bill would also strengthen the biomass stock assessments mandated in Magnuson. Specifically, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would have to review factors that may contribute to the overfished status of a stock, such as commercial, residential, and industrial development of, or agricultural activity in, coastal areas and their impact on the marine environment, predator-prey relationships of target and related species, and other environmental and ecological changes to the marine conditions.
This hearing would give recreational and commercial fisherman a chance to testify before Congress and make their case that the current rebuilding targets are unattainable. It will also give members of Congress the opportunity to question the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and other stakeholders about the "best available science" used in creating yearly quotas and determining whether to shut down a fishery.
It is imperative that Congress ask whether the current rebuilding targets take into account environmental factors such as over development and the degradation of our estuaries. We should also ask NMFS whether it believes the current ecosystem can sustain all species at the rebuilt levels with regard to predator-prey relationships.
I hope that you will consider holding a legislative hearing on H.R. 1584 as this is an important issue to many of my constituents and coastal communities all across the Nation.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress