October 26, 2017 — WASHINGTON — Tuesday, the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, chaired by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), convened a hearing entitled “Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA): Fisheries Science.” This is the fourth MSA hearing held by the Subcommittee this year. A video of the hearing and witness testimony can be found here.
Witnesses:
- Dr. Ray Hilborn, professor at University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
- Dr. Larry McKinney, director of Texas A&M University Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies
- Karl Haflinger, founder and president of Sea State, Inc.
- Dr. Michael Jones, professor at Michigan State University Quantitative Fisheries Center
Dr. Hilborn reported to the committee that, “Overfishing remains a concern for a limited number of stocks but should not continue to be the most important concern for U.S. fisheries policy.” And while he pointed to some positive outcomes brought by implementing total allowable catch for “individually targeted, large scale industrial fisheries,” he argued it is “totally inappropriate for recreational” fisheries.