Tag Archives: HR 1335
Trump presidency may bring changes to U.S. fishing laws
Previously unsuccessful efforts to reform the US’s main federal fishing law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, are positioned to move ahead under a Donald Trump administration. New efforts to amend the US Magnuson-Stevens Act are expected from the new Congress, leaving some in industry concerned with any move away from a law judged by many to have worked reasonably well for four decades. “Right now you might be looking at potential for a whole lot of changes and revisions,” said an Alaska-based source who wished to remain unnamed. “I would say there should be some anxiety about how far you go giving people flexibility that moves outside the scientific realm.” HR 1335 – One of the bill’s central provisions would have reformed Magnuson-Stevens’s mandatory 10-year stock rebuilding timeline, incorporating additional flexibility. Instead of formally defining all stocks in decline as “overfished”, Young’s amendment would allow the term “depleted” when the reason for a stock’s decline is due to depredation or other non-fishing factors. Read the story here 11:39
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton gets backing from Keating, and Lynch for observer coverage from NOAA’s Asset Forfeiture Fund
On Thursday, the freshman Democrat from the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District announced he and two other New England representatives (Reps. William Keating, D-Mass., and Congressman Stephen Lynch of South Boston , secured an appropriations commitment to allow (force) NOAA to continue paying for observer coverage on commercial fishing boats. That amendment mandates that money contained in NOAA’s Asset Forfeiture Fund will be used for fishery research and stock assessments; at-sea and shoreside monitoring; Read the rest here 08:07
Our View: Facts prevail in House vote on fisheries – seeing through an environmentalist-created fog
In politics, repeating an argument so frequently and with such authority as to allow it to become accepted as fact is a familiar tactic. But the fact in this case is that the 10-year rebuilding benchmark so jealously protected by advocates such as Pew Charitable Trust, the Conservation Law Foundation and even the president’s policy advisers is the genuinely arbitrary figure, with no basis in data. The fact is that data collected under the proposals in HR 1335 and the amendment would bring it in from more sources and would necessarily provide better assessments for administrators. Read the rest here 08:51
Rep. Garret Graves pulls HR 1335 red snapper management amendment
Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, pulled his amendment Monday (June 1) that would have transferred the authority to set fishing seasons in the Gulf of Mexico for red snapper from the federal government to a coalition of five Gulf states. It appeared the amendment, which failed 16-22 in the House Natural Resources Committee, didn’t have the votes for House passage. ( reallocation away from commercial fishermen is unacceptable. They receive 51% of the TAC. They are the link to consumers that want to consume their resource) Read the rest here 19:31
NJ Rep. Pallone opposes fisheries reform bill HR 1335
On Monday, Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., D-NJ, opposed the Magnuson-Stevens reauthorization legislation, H.R. 1335: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, introduced by Rep. Don Young of Alaska. While Rep. Pallone has long been in favor of increased flexibility in Magnuson-Stevens, he said the “lack of a bipartisan approach has left this bill to reform fisheries policies with unacceptable flaws”. BUNK! Read the rest here 19:08
House bill HR 1335 would add ‘flexibility’ to federal fishing law (Still in session at post time)
A bill sponsored by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, was debated on the House floor and appeared likely to be approved. The bill would reauthorize the four-decade-old Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the top law regulating fishing in U.S. oceans, and give regional fisheries managers greater flexibility to shift catch totals as ocean conditions and science change. Read the rest here 17:38
A Fisherman’s Perspective: Catch Shares – Support HR 1335
EDF’s campaign to implement catch shares in our nation’s fisheries is not only misguided, but it is a serious threat to the livelihoods of the majority of American fishermen. Fishermen beware: you are gazing directly into the friendly eyes of a lion in sheep’s clothing! This is one of those panacea, cure-all fixes for fisheries management which NGO’s love to promote because they are easy sells to the legions of non-fishing folks who are easily convinced that something needs to be saved because EDF tells them so and they don’t have enough other information to know any better. Read the rest here 13:22
Misfits for Magnuson – Written by Jes Hathaway – Support HR 1335
I admit I had the wind knocked out of my sails late last week when I read that President Obama has opted to dismiss out of hand Alaska Rep. Don Young’s Magnuson-Stevens reauthorization draft, reportedly based on the advice of his staff. After the industry mustered support for the bill that could possibly be a Hail Mary pass for the Northeast groundfish fleet, I was excited to see it get widespread support (though Senate approval was uncertain), because that means more people understand the inordinate amount of pain under which New England,,, Read the rest here 11:31
Your View: Not all fishermen support Young bill, By Greg Walinski
We need to hang on to the fundamentals of the act, while improving monitoring, data collection systems — for both commercial and recreational fishing — and bycatch accountability. I recognize that this bill does create a good framework for the regional fishery councils to implement electronic monitoring and stresses the importance of cooperative research, but it also dismantles some basic requirements to achieve healthy fish populations by building in exemptions and loopholes. Read the rest here 11:15
White House vow to veto fishing law changes sends a very poor message to fishermen
David Goethel, a Hampton, New Hampshire-based fisherman of species such as cod and haddock, said the threat of a veto is premature and a “very poor message” to send to fishermen who are struggling with tough catch quotas. He said Young’s proposal is “common sense in fisheries management” and deserves a hard look. Goethel said Young’s proposal could help Northeastern regional managers rebuild cod while allowing fishermen to still seek similar species such as haddock and Pollock. Read the rest here 08:44
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
Greg DiDomenico: Fisheries law deserves reauthorization
The Garden State Seafood Association, a statewide organization promoting the interests of the commercial fishing industry and seafood consumers in New Jersey, last week joined with 150 businesses, organizations and individuals on the East, West and Gulf coasts to express support for the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee’s work on reauthorizing the act that regulates U.S. fisheries. Read the rest here 17:15
Our View: White House putting politics ahead of fishery science
Something happened Monday that made us wonder if there wasn’t finally some progress being made in fisheries management. About 150 businesses, organizations and individuals with interests in the fishing industry on the East, West and Gulf coasts expressed their support for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee work on reauthorizing the act that regulates. After years of losing battles with regulators, of finding too many deaf ears in Congress, of jaw-dropping incredulity over what appeared to be indiscriminate or capricious management that has decimated the Northeast groundfishing fleet, we thought it remarkable to read their letter to the committee chairman: Read the rest here 08:00
Obama threatens to veto House Magnuson-Stevens fisheries bill that would “harm the environment and the economy.”
The administration strongly opposes 
which would amend the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) because it would impose arbitrary, and un necessary requirements that would harm the environment and the economy. Read the rest here 15:51
Fishermen, Businesses, and Fishing Organizations Support House Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Bill
On Saturday, May 16, a diverse group of 20 businesses, 51 organizations, and 80 individuals representing fishermen and fishing communities from the East, West, and Gulf Coasts jointly signed a letter delivered to Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT), the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, supporting HR 1335, the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act,” which would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Read the rest here 21:09
Rep. John Fleming: Congress not going to gut red-snapper management for benefit of recreational anglers
Freshman Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) proposed an amendment in a House Natural Resources Committee meeting last week that would have transferred red-snapper management authority from the federal government to the states. Rep. John Fleming, Louisiana’s only other representative on the committee, abstained from voting on Graves’ amendment, which drew the ire of recreational fishing-industry leaders. In an interview with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, he explained his reasons for not voting: Read the rest here 12:12
