WASHINGTON, D.C. – Feb. 9, 2011 – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, applauded the recommendation by a management committee which includes representatives of the New England Fishery Management Council, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Canadian fishery managers to increase catch levels for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder by 44 percent more than previously established quotas for 2011. Senator Snowe authored the legislation, the International Fisheries Clarification Act, which was signed into law in January that led to this bilateral recommendation and will allow for a more flexible fishery in 2011.
Todays agreement will provide a critical boost to Maines yellowtail flounder groundfishery. I am pleased this recommendation enables NOAA to set new catch limits under the Magnuson-Stevens Act that will provide parity for the hard-working members of the New England groundfish industry beginning with the fishing year that starts in May 2011,said Senator Snowe. For too long, our fishery managers have been placed at a competitive disadvantage in negotiating catch limits with their Canadian counterparts because of an erroneous interpretation of the law.
The legislation that enabled todays agreement was signed by President Obama on January 4 and initiated by Senator Snowe and Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts. It allows NOAA to extend the rebuilding timeframe for the Georges Bank yellowtail flounder stock. This is one of several shared groundfish stocks that are jointly managed by the United States and Canada through an international understanding.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act, which provides legislative underpinning for nearly all U.S. fishery management measures, permits fisheries managed under international agreementsto have rebuilding periods that extend beyond the 10-year timeline that domestic stocks are subject to. However, the U.S. Department of State has stated the bilateral understandingbetween the U.S. and Canada fails to meet the criteria to be considered an international agreement.This ruling has hindered U.S. negotiations with Canada, as the 10-year timeline does not exist in Canadian law and the legislation clarified this interpretation. Although Canada manages its stocks to maintain a rebuilding trajectory, their catch limits often far exceed those in the United States.