FCC Statement on Oceans-Based Climate Solutions Act 2020

Fishing Communities Coalition Statement on
Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2020

October 22, 2020

The Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC) appreciates the House Natural Resources Committee and Chairman Grijalva’s goals and efforts in introducing the “Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2020.” This comprehensive bill puts forward a number of bold and provocative proposals to respond to climate change and address our changing oceans.

While the FCC shares many of the goals of the legislation, we are concerned the bill could hamper the science-based approach to fisheries management successfully embodied in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). We believe management actions should be designed through the publicly accessible council process to meet clearly identified and scientifically defensible resource goals, excluding uses that are incompatible with those goals--commercial or otherwise. Our members recognize climate change is a significant threat to ocean health and our livelihoods, and welcome legislation that takes meaningful action to address it. FCC members will continue to work with Congress to maintain ocean health and promote sustainable fisheries. We will also ensure Congress fully understands the implications of the legislation on our small-scale fishermen as well as their ability to access the traditional fishing grounds they have worked hard to protect. 

For the last five years, the FCC has been actively engaged in the reauthorization of the MSA, the nation’s primary fisheries management statute. This bill recommends a number of changes to that law. The FCC looks forward to working with Congress and hopes to give fishermen the opportunity to collaborate on the bill so that we can be confident it will strengthen fisheries management, protect critical ecosystems, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.