Pallone Urges Review of Fisheries Management Funding

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) along with Rep. Bordallo sent the following letter today to the chair and ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Related Agencies. The lawmakers urge an increase in critical funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service from the president’s request, and a review of the funding priorities for FY 2011.

This letter follows up on the February 24, 2010 Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife oversight hearing on the President’s fiscal year 2011 budget request. At the hearing Congressman Pallone questioned NOAA officials on the allocation and use of funds in carrying out its responsibilities overlooking fishing regulations. In the letter below, Pallone follows up on the questioning from the NOAA budget hearing where he expressed concerns about funding allocated to catch shares, a management tool, rather than directing funding to science for management.

March 22, 2010

Chairman Mollohan Ranking Member Wolf
Committee on Appropriations Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
and Related Agencies and Related Agencies
H-309 The Capitol 1016 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Mollohan, and Ranking Member Wolf:

We write to urge a critical review of funding priorities in the Fiscal Year 2011 budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and to request an investment of an additional $47 million over the President’s request to fund fundamental fisheries data collection and monitoring programs. We believe this is a small investment for an industry that is integral to our nation’s economy.

According to NOAA, the commercial fishing industry landed $4 billion worth of fish in 2006, generating $103 billion in sales, $44 billion in income, and 1.5 million jobs. Recreational angling generated $82 billion in sales and an additional 500,000 jobs. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires both commercial and recreational fisheries to be managed in a manner that prevents overfishing, while achieving the optimum yield from each fishery and rebuilding stocks that have declined. While much progress has been made in rebuilding U.S. fisheries to fulfill their promise, there is still more to be done.

For that reason, in 2006, amendments to the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (MSA) required NMFS and the Regional Fishery Management Councils (Councils) to set annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures by 2010 for all fisheries subject to overfishing, and for all other fisheries in 2011. Currently, some of the stock assessments and other data that fisheries managers must use to establish ACLs and accountability measure and to monitor the efficacy of other fisheries management measures need to be updated.

To rebuild U.S. fisheries to achieve their full economic and biological potential and to establish ACLs that fisheries managers and the commercial and recreational fishing industries can have confidence in, funding for stock assessments, analyses, cooperative research, and the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) should be NOAA’s highest priority. Unfortunately, the President’s budget request does not adequately invest in or actually makes cuts to these fundamental programs, while requesting large increases in management tools that may only be used in a limited number of cases in the short term. Therefore, we respectfully request you to make increases in the following line items of the highest priority, to address the needs of all fisheries managers.

Stocks Assessments: +10 million over the President’s request for a total of $61.7 million. Increased funding will reduce the scientific and management uncertainty that limits the ability of the Councils to set ACLs that maximize catch while rebuilding fish stocks.

Cooperative Research: +$10 million for a total of $17.1 million. Increased funding will provide much needed data and increase fishing industry confidence in the science being used to make management decisions.

Fisheries Statistics: +$11 million for a total of $32.4 million. The 2006 amendments to the Magnuson Stevens Act required the Agency, within two years, to improve the quality and accuracy of MRIP, with a goal of achieving acceptable accuracy and utility for each fishery. That goal has not been met, and significant funding is needed to ensure timely data collection and analysis that will result in real time management decisions that both the Councils and the recreational fishing industry have sought.

Fisheries observers: +$10 million for a total of $48.8 million. Like cooperative research, additional funding will provide improved data and increase industry confidence in the science being used to make management decisions.

Survey and Monitoring Projects: +$6 million for a total of $30 million. Additional funding will improve estimates of stock size and fishing impacts—another critical aspect of setting ACLs that maximize catch while rebuilding fisheries.

Increased investments in our fisheries data programs will facilitate the rebuilding of fisheries nationwide to meet their full economic and biological potential, benefitting both the fishing industry and the U.S. economy.

Thank you for considering our request.

Sincerely,

Frank Pallone Madeleine Z. Bordallo

Member of Congress Member of Congress