Eliminating a 10-Year Timeline to Rebuild Fisheries, and More Flexibility for Fishery Management Councils (H.R. 1335)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 1335?
(Updated October 21, 2019)
This bill would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act — the primary law governing how fisheries are managed and general fishing activities in federal waters. The original Magnuson-Stevens Act created eight Regional Fishery Management Councils. This reauthorization aims to offer more resources and flexibility to Councils for managing their fisheries.
Under current law, overfished and depleted fisheries are required to rebuild over a 10-year timeframe where no fishing takes place. This bill would replace that requirement with a timeframe that considers the time needed to restore fish populations, plus one mean generation — basically a fish's lifespan. The rebuilding period would be as short as practicable given the biology of the fishery.
Councils could phase-in rebuilding plans for dynamic fisheries over a three-year period to lessen the harm to fishing communities, and could consider environmental conditions and predator/prey relationships when developing rebuilding plans.
When setting up Annual Catch Limits (ACLs), Councils would be directed to consider changes in the fishery’s ecosystem and the economic needs of the fishing communities — giving them flexibility without setting ACLs at a level allowing overfishing. Fish that are accidentally caught and are unlikely to be overfished would not need to have an ACL set for them, and fish with a life cycle shorter than 18 months would also not require an ACL as long as the mortality won’t impact the fishery.
Argument in favor
Letting the Fisheries Management Councils develop a regional plan to manage fisheries that takes into account local fish populations and ecosystems is as common sense as it gets. This will help fishing communities survive and prosper.
Argument opposed
Giving up authority to regional management councils will lead to overfishing. Taking away the 10-year standard for rebuilding depleted fisheries — in favor of a "biology-based approach" — is shortsighted and bad for fish ecosystems.
Impact
People employed in the fishing industry or who live in fishing communities, people who eat fish, state fishing agencies, Regional Fishery Management Councils, NOAA, the Secretary of Commerce.
Cost of H.R. 1335
The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost $1.5 billion over the 2016-2020 period, which is $300 million per year, and $72 million after 2020.
Additional Info
In-Depth: The Magnuson-Stevens Act was originally passed in 1976, and went through a series of revisions when it was reauthorized in 1996 with the Sustainable Fisheries Act, and in 2006 when it underwent another reauthorization.
This bill was passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources on a 21-14 vote, and after it proceeded from committee the bill’s sponsor Rep. Don Young (R-AK) noted:
“Through a number of modest but necessary reforms, this legislation ensures the needs of our fisheries resources are balanced with the needs of our fishermen and coastal communities. By reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act, we allow for this important law to more closely reflect the current science, management techniques and knowledge of our fishermen and regional management councils.”
A nearly identical version of this bill
was passed by the Committee in May 2014 on a vote of 24-17, but it did
not receive a vote from the full House before the 113th Congress ended.
The public would have more chances to give input into the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committees reporting
process, and each Council would have to offer live audio or video of Council meetings.
The Secretary of Commerce would be
required to establish partnerships with states to develop state
recreational fishing data. Grant awards to states would improve the
implementation of state data programs, and would be prioritized based on
the state’s ability to improve the quality and accuracy of the data
collection programs. The Secretary would also enter into an agreement
with the National Research Council to assess regional survey methods,
and examine the limitations of NOAA’s current data collection programs.
Of Note: In 2012, commercial fishermen in the U.S. harvested 9.6 billion pounds of finfish and shellfish, earning $5.1 billion for their catch while sustaining 1.3 million full- and part-time jobs. The most lucrative catches were sea scallops at $559 million, shrimp at $490 million, Pacific salmon at $489 million, and American lobster at $429 million.
Media:
- Sponsoring Rep. Don Young (R-AK) Press Release
- House Committee on Natural Resources Press Release
- House Committee on Natural Resources Markup Summary
- Peninsula Clarion - Rep. Don Young (R-AK) Op-Ed (In Favor)
- CBO Cost Estimate
- Alaska Dispatch News
- Juneau Empire
- NOAA (Context)
Summary by: Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user blmoregon)
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