Tag Archives: reauthorization

Biologists: Fisheries at Risk as Bills Target Science-Based Conservation – Reauth hearing tomorrow

Are fish the next casualties in the war on science? A group of distinguished marine scientists, including a former administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), apparently think so. More than 200 scientists have signed a letter addressed to the United States Congress opposing efforts to weaken the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the 1976 law that governs management of U.S. fisheries and is credited with preventing the collapse of fish stocks. Conservation group Oceana released the letter on Monday, October 23, the day before a Senate subcommittee holds a hearing on the Act.  click here to read the story 10:05

Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act: Fisheries Science – U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, will convene the hearing titled “Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act: Fisheries Science,” at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. The hearing is the fourth of the series and will focus on the state of our nation’s fisheries and the science that supports sustainable management. click here for details 

Hearing: Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, will convene the hearing titled “Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act: NOAA and Council Perspectives” at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 1, 2017. This hearing is the first in a series to examine the state of our nation’s fishery laws and guide the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Witnesses: – Mr. Christopher Oliver, Assistant Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, – Dr. John Quinn, Chair, Council Coordination Committee and Northeast Fishery Management Council Hearing Details: Tuesday, August 1, 2017 10:00 a.m. Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard This hearing will take place in Russell Senate Office Building, Room 253. Witness testimony, opening statements, and a live video of the hearing will be available on www.commerce.senate.gov. link 09:20

Senator Cantwell casts a net for fishing advice

This is the culture of our state, this is about a way of life,” U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell told a packed house of about 30 Pacific County fishing/shellfish industry representatives Saturday in the Port of Ilwaco’s tiny boardroom. Noting that fishing in all its various forms is a pillar of the county’s economy, Washington’s third-term junior senator, a Democrat, said “we want to keep it that way.” She expects to win passage this spring of the “crab bill.” This will ensure Washington’s most lucrative fishery continues operating under the generally popular tri-state process, in which the three mainland West Coast states negotiate season details among themselves. Cantwell also noted that reauthorization of the far-reaching Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is coming up soon, something that will benefit from local input. Meeting attendees peppered her with numerous suggestions and concerns, several of which go to the heart of industry survival. continue reading the story here 15:22

The sensible changes needed for the Magnuson Stevens Act Reauthorization

CSF board member Dick GrachekA quote from the article Longstanding fisheries act doesn’t need changing says Hogarth and Murawskiclick here   “Much of our recent success has stemmed from quick action and firm timetables for rebuilding, and that approach has clearly worked.”

Dick Grachek writes, Well No, that’s not quite true… Allowable Catch Quotas are still shrinking each year for most fisheries in spite of NOAA’s declarations of eliminating “overfishing” because the stock population recovery is not living up to unrealistic timelines perhaps? And more than half of the local family fishing operations have been eliminated. Fishing ports along with shoreside support businesses are disappearing. So what exactly is the authors’ idea of having clearly worked? Read the rest here 13:41

 

Frank Mirarchi – A Scituate fisherman’s perspective on government’s fisheries management

Thank you for the editorial “White House puts politics ahead of fishery science” published on Tuesday, May 26. You have provided your readers an insight into the utter dysfunction which pervades the government’s management of New England fisheries. By way of background, the Secretary of Commerce declared the northeast groundfish fishery an economic disaster in September, 2012. Subsequently, Congress appropriated approximately $33 million in disaster assistance to be distributed by the National Marine Fisheries Service,,, Read the rest here  20:20

America Needs More Government Surveillance – On Fish!

Here’s an idea: Maybe the NSA can put some of its surplus spy expertise into the oceans. For years, the US has tried to drive its fishing policies with data—collecting information about numbers of fish caught, along with their species, ages, and locations—so it can better protect species and ecosystems that are overfished. But the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration can’t quite match the NSA’s data-monitoring skills, leaving fisheries in limbo. Read the rest here 15:10

NOAA laments loss of Democratic senator in Magnuson reform – What NOAA? POLITICS NOT YOUR PLACE!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told Fortune magazine in an article detailing the history of and turmoil around the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act that “it remains unclear if the administration will put forward a reauthorization bill” after Begich’s defeat. “It is reasonable to assume that the recent election, including the loss of Senator , has added uncertainty to the process,” NOAA said in a statement to Fortune. Read the rest here 17:38

Our View: Fix the big problem with fisheries

sct logoThe reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act under consideration by Congress now needs to require better science, more contribution from the industry in gathering data for the science (Alaska fisheries rely on industry vessels for 80 percent of data, 20 percent from government,,,Read more here 08:17

MSA: Renewal of fisheries law brings back debate over managing stocks

As a Star Wars movie, the title might be: Return of the Anglers, Net Fishermen Fight Back.Catching fish and saving fish are real-life pursuits, however, not a movie. The people who catch fish had the nation’s premier federal fishing law on their side until reauthorizations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1996 and 2006. Those reauthorizations of a law originally enacted in 1976 to kick foreign fishermen off the coast and boost the U.S. fishing industry were heavily influenced by environmental groups trying to save fish stocks. The effort has produced some success stories, but it has also put a lot of fishermen out of business. Read more@pressofatlanticcity  14:41

Dr. Ray Hilborn Discusses the Status of Federal Fisheries Management

logoOn Wednesday, September 11, 2013, Dr. Ray Hilborn, of the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources during a hearing on the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Following his testimony on Capitol Hill, Dr. Hilborn sat down with Saving Seafood’s Executive Director Bob Vanasse for an in-depth discussion on his findings, and to present his full testimony, unhindered by the Congressional hearing’s five minute time limit. Video here 08:40

Oversight Hearing on “Reauthorization: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act” Wednesday, September 11, 2013 10:00 AM

PANEL I – Mr. Samuel Rauch National Marine Fisheries Service – Dr. Patrick J. Sullivan – Mr. Richard B. Robins  PANEL II – Dr. Ray Hilborn – Mr. Rod Moore – Mr. Vito Giacalone – Mr. Jeff Deem –  Dr. John Bruno – Mr. Chris Dorsett [email protected]  16:22

DENIAL, DELUSION AND NMFS STILL DOESN’T KNOW ITS NAME

“Fishlink Sublegals.”-  The third “Managing  Our Nation’s Fisheries” conference was held on 6-9 May, 2013 in Washington,  DC.  Titled, “Advancing  Sustainability,” the national event, sponsored this time by the Pacific Fishery  Management Council, is in preparation for the upcoming Congressional  Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act (MSA)  reauthorization, a law set to expire in September of this year. continuedimage