CAPITOL HILL OCEAN WEEK: CONGRESS MUST DEFEND SCIENCE-BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

CAPITOL HILL OCEAN WEEK: CONGRESS MUST DEFEND SCIENCE-BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

Fishing Communities Coalition to Policymakers: Magnuson-Stevens Act is Working

Washington, DC – During Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2018, members of the Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC) are urging lawmakers in Washington to defend science-based fisheries management under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which has demonstrated remarkable success in rebuilding once badly depleted fish stocks in U.S. waters.

Last month, NOAA Fisheries reported that the number of fish on the overfished list reached an all-time low in 2017. Additionally, three new fish stocks were rebuilt in 2017, bringing the total number of rebuilt stocks since 2000 to 44.

“This latest report reaffirms that the Magnuson-Stevens Act is working,” said John Pappalardo, FCC President and CEO of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. “But there is much work to do, and reversing course would be a grave mistake. Congress must continue to invest in fisheries science to ensure we have the data on which to base important management decisions and resist shortsighted efforts to undermine key Magnuson-Stevens Act accountability provisions.” 

“Science-based fisheries management is common sense, and it works,” said Captain Bubba Cochrane, President of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance. “By sticking to the core principles of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, we will ensure a brighter future for all those working to supply America with locally harvested, sustainable seafood.”

The Fishing Communities Coalition’s seven member organizations represent over 1,000 fishermen from Maine, Cape Cod, the Gulf of Mexico, California, and Alaska.  

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