Commercial Fishermen from across the U.S. Visit Washington D.C.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 4, 2015

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC) issued the following statement on their fly-in visit to the Capitol:

We are pleased to announce that FCC members had a successful trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers and Administration officials to discuss the importance of maintaining strong fishing communities and the actions they can take to support the small boat, commercial fishermen that make up these communities.

Nine representatives from the FCC’s five member groups (Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, Alaska Marine Conservation Council, and Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association) spent two full days  on Capitol Hill highlighting issues important to their members  including: bycatch reduction, the inequities of  reallocating quota from the commercial sector to the recreational sector, the need for improved fisheries data collection, At-Sea Monitoring and Electronic Monitoring, and a strong Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization bill. These issues are nationally significant as they affect the 1,000+ fishermen the FCC represents and have the opportunity to set important precedents to ensure the preservation of the fishing industry and its rich culture in our communities. FCC members met with more than 20 congressional offices, as well as with representatives from the Department of Commerce, State Department, and the National Marine Fisheries Service to bring these issues to the national stage.  

“It was a privilege to be able to provide Congressman Don Young information about the huge bycatch problem we are facing in the Alaskan halibut fishery. For every one fish caught by the directed fishery, seven are killed and discarded by the trawl fishery. This has prompted draconian cuts to the historic directed fishery, threatening the survival of many remote fishing communities.” – Shannon Carroll, Fisheries Policy Director, Alaska Marine Conservation Council.

“Meeting with so many offices afforded the FCC the opportunity to raise the issue of the high cost of implementing At-Sea Monitoring programs, especially in Alaska and New England. As NMFS is looking to transfer the costs of ASM to the New England groundfish fleet, this was a great opportunity to highlight the importance of a dual system that incorporates a more cost effective system, like electronic monitoring. – John Pappalardo, Chief Executive Officer, Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance

“The Gulf region has continued to face an onslaught of legislation seeking to override the strong management process put in place by the Magnuson-Stevens Act and allow states to take over the management of Red Snapper. These meetings provided a great way to highlight the dangerous precedent that these pieces of legislation would set and to educate offices in other regions about what this could mean for national fisheries management. Ensuring that the MSA remains as the nation’s presiding fisheries management legislation is not only critical for the continued rebuilding of red snapper, but for rebuilding efforts around the nation.” – Eric Brazer, Deputy Director, Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance

FCC representatives forged new relationships with Members of Congress and intends to continue these outreach efforts. Our fishermen were well received and will continue to build broad support on both sides of the aisle for strong, science-based fisheries management that gives small boat, commercial fishermen and their dependent fishing communities the recognition they deserve.

Young seeks to change onesizefitsall fisheries law

June 1, 2015

"Rep. Don Young wants to change the federal government’s one-size-fits-all approach to the U.S.’s 16 fisheries, but environmental groups believe the Alaska Republican’s changes will lead to the decimation of many fish species,” reports POLITICO’s Matt Yurus. Read the full story.

 

STATEMENT: Commercial Fishermen across the U.S. Think House Bill to Reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act Needs Work

(Washington, D.C. - May 27, 2015) The House of Representatives is poised to vote next week on H.R. 1335 (Young, R-AK), one of two bills introduced in the House to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), our nation’s primary fishery management law. Although H.R. 1335 contains a number of provisions which would enhance the MSA, the bill also contains provisions that would erode some of the core conservation principles established in the last reauthorization. 

The Fishing Community Coalition (FCC), a diverse group of community-based, small boat commercial fishing organizations representing more than 1,000 independent fishermen and businesses owners from across the U.S., does not support this bill in its current form. The FCC is committed to promoting sustainable, science-based fisheries management and will not endorse any legislation that would jeopardize gains made since the last reauthorization and the future health of our fish stocks. 

“The FCC cannot support provisions that undermine the core conservation principles of the MSA by creating exemptions to the requirements to rebuild fish populations in a timely manner and to establish science-based catch limits to prevent overfishing because ultimately this would threaten our fishing businesses and communities,” says Claire Fitz-Gerald, policy analyst for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. 

“There are too many communities and fishing businesses that depend on consistent access to these resources to just roll-back the requirements that ensure they are sustainably harvested, says Ben Martens, Executive Director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. “It is a simple fact that healthy populations mean more fish in the ocean, which translates to greater stability and a brighter economic future for all fishing dependent communities.” 

The FCC, like other industry participants, has been frustrated by the lack of data and accountability in some fisheries that has made it difficult to meet the requirements of the current law. However, the FCC does not share the belief that the “flexibility” provided by H.R. 1335 is the answer. 

“The solution is for Congress to mandate and fund the data collection and science needed to effectively manage these fisheries, not to create exemptions to the core conservation requirements that have successfully rebuilt more than 30 commercially important stocks since 2000,” says Shannon Carroll, Fisheries Policy Director for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. 

“Congress should exercise its oversight authority to ensure that NOAA Fisheries works with, not against, industry to enhance cooperative research and integrate 21st century technology into our nation’s fishery management programs,” says Linda Behnken of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. 

The MSA is named after two prominent senators from opposite sides of the aisle. This bill has always received strong bi-partisan support because heathy, sustainable fisheries benefit everyone. The handling of the current reauthorization has made it both partisan and controversial. H.R. 1335 doesn’t have a democratic cosponsor, was never the subject of a legislative hearing and was reported out of committee by a party-line vote. 

The House Natural Resources Committee leadership has so far declined to consider a second bill to reauthorize the MSA. H.R. 1826 (Sablan, D-CNMI and Huffman, D-CA) which contains important provisions that are missing from H.R. 1335, including the redirection of Saltonstall-Kennedy Act funds back to cooperative research and the establishment of new requirements to streamline NOAA’s data collection and management system. 

“The partisan politics surrounding this bill are truly unfortunate,” says Eric Brazer, Deputy Director of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance. “The FCC feels that both H.R. 1335 and H.R. 1826 contain key provisions that will help strengthen the MSA, protect our fish populations, provide stability for our fishing businesses, and promote the needs of fishing dependent communities. We urge House Leadership to postpone consideration of H.R. 1335 until Committee leadership is able to work across the aisle to develop a bi-partisan bill that enjoys broad support by all industry participants and stands worthy of this once-in-a-decade opportunity to strengthen our federal fishery law.” 

CONTACTS: 

Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance – Claire Fitz-Gerald (claire@capecodfishermen.org) 

Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association – Ben Martens (ben@mainecoastfishermen.org) 

Alaska Marine Conservation Council – Shannon Carroll (shannon@akmarine.org) 

Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association – Linda Behnken (alfafish@acsalaska.net) 

Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance – Eric Brazer (eric@shareholdersalliance.org) 

Don Young seeks to unwind 'Alaska Model' for fisheries in Magnuson-Stevens Act

Don Young seeks to unwind 'Alaska Model' for fisheries in Magnuson-Stevens Act

April 8, 2015

"Our lone congressman, Don Young, recently introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to reauthorize our federal fisheries management law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The law is the foundation of sustainable fisheries management, and bears the names and legacy of legendary Sen. Ted Stevens and Sen. Warren Magnuson. Young’s proposed legislation unwinds the important work the senators did to ensure the long-term sustainability of our fisheries..." Read Stosh Anderson's full editiorial on the Anchorage Daily News.