Washington

The following was released by the office of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe:

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, sent an open letter to the Maine fishing industry reaffirming her commitment to achieve the stability and predictability the community requires for long-term economic success. The fishing industry members sent a letter on November 14, 2011, requesting help in getting Congress to focus its effort to enhance operational issues with the new fisheries management system.

In her letter, Senator Snowe said:

“The diversity of ports, vessels and sectors represented on this letter reflects the importance of your request.  I want you to know that I clearly understand that you write neither in support of, nor in opposition to, catch shares.  You have asked for a focused effort from Congress on the operational issues that must be addressed for your businesses to survive, and I am committed to working with you to achieve the stability and predictability your businesses will require for long term economic sustainability.”

BACKGROUND: In July 2011, Senator Snowe led New England's Senators in calling for common-sense fishery management adjustments to the sector-based management system.  In the letter to Eric Schwaab, NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, Snowe and a bipartisan group of Senators proposed several adjustments to the 15-month-old management plan to help the region's fishermen achieve greater predictability in their business and harvesting practices.

The letter asserted, "Effective fisheries management rests on reliable processes that promote stability for both fishing businesses and managers. Consistent with national fisheries policy, these adjustments will provide significant benefits both to fishermen and for the resource, and help the New England groundfish fishery move further down the path to a sustainable ecological and economic future."

Read the complete letter from Senator Snowe

 

 

 

 

 

A bill introduced by Florida Senators Nelson and Rubio, with fairly bi-partisan support is being rushed through both houses of Congress that would make a significant improvement to the federal fisheries management process.
 
Co-sponsors include Oceans Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska); Congressional Sportsmens Caucus Co-Chairman Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.); Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.); Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska); Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

The 2006 revision of Magnuson-Stevens required that NOAA set annual catch limits on all species, regardless as to whether there was scientific information to do so or not. The Regional Fishery Management Councils have to put in place ACLs for every fishery by Dec. 31, 2011. This provision has been interpreted to apply to every stock of fish under management, leaving Councils with the conundrum of either deleting stocks from federal management or applying highly restrictive ACLs based on very poor data – or in some cases, non-existent data.

NOAA presently has 528 stocks of fish or complexes of stocks under management. And there is updated stock assessment data on only 121 of the 528. The Fishery Science Improvement Act (FSIA) lifts the requirement to implement ACLs on stocks for which there is inadequate data and no evidence of overfishing. The legislation allows NOAA Fisheries to better conform to the intent of the 2006 reauthorization of MSA: ending overfishing based on sound scientific management.

The legislation directs NOAA Fisheries to set annual catch limits (ACLs) only on those stocks of fish for which they have up-to-date scientific information to inform that decision. The bill's two conditions exempting a fishery from the ACL requirements are 1) the lack of a stock assessment in the prior six years and 2) the absence of any indication that overfishing is occurring. This will overturn the agency's current interpretation that it must set ACL's on all species, regardless as to whether it has any data or not.

Supporters of the bill have provided two examples of its positive impact with Mahi Mahi and North Pacific cod.

Mahi Mahi is sought after by commercial and recreational fishermen. Sustainably harvested, it is delicious table fare all across the country. Mahi shows no indication of overfishing, but NOAA Fisheries lacks a current scientific stock assessment on the fishery. Nonetheless, the agency instituted an ACL on the mahi fishery earlier this year based on a guess. Is it too high to ensure sustainability? Too low to allow responsible harvest? No one knows but the economic consequences could be devastating.

Pacific Cod – among the best-managed fisheries in the world – is scientifically assessed annually. It is known to be in good shape. Sometimes, when Alaska commercial fishermen target cod with pots, they accidentally catch octopus. NOAA did not have an assessment on octopus but knows the octopus stock shows no indication of overfishing. Nonetheless, due to the agency's interpretation of current law, NOAA took a guess and set an ACL on octopus. It has since been estimated that the ACL on octopus was exceeded. So fishery managers shut down the Alaska pot fishermen targeting cod based on a guess about octopus. Was the ACL set on octopus too high? Too low? Who knows? But one of the world's best-managed fisheries (cod) is shut down today in the Bering Sea because of a guess about the octopus fishery.

The bill has the strong support of recreational fisheries groups, such as the Coastal Conservation Association, and commercial groups as well. A companion bill has been introduced in the house, and there is considerable pressure to move these bills this year.

It is obvious that more resources have to be focused on improving science and data on stocks such as Gulf of Maine Cod, and this bill would help NOAA prioritize its research budget and avoid diverting science resources to non-commercial fisheries that show no signs of overfishing.

Read the story on SeafoodNews.com

 

Republished with permission from SeafoodNews.com

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON – December 1, 2011 – The Strengthen New England Fishery Management Act of 2011, authored by  Congressman William R. Keating was one of eight bills on the agenda of a hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee.  The committee heard testimony from Rep. Keating, as well as five other Members, including Rep. Barney Frank (MA-4).

Below is a copy of Congressman Keating’s testimony at today’s hearing.

Chairman Hastings, Ranking Member Markey and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before your committee on an issue of great importance – not only to the residents of the Bay State, whom, as my colleagues from Massachusetts know all too well, rely on the fishing industry as a source of livelihood – but to all states with access to fishing stocks.

The issues currently plaguing the fishing industry are complex and divisive. Yet, here we sit this morning in full agreement that the common crisis facing fishermen from Massachusetts to North Carolina is the urgent need for increased research and hard, scientific data in order to implement fair and effective fisheries management policies.

I am not here to debate the effectiveness of these policies; on the contrary, I will speak on the first bill that I introduced as a Member of Congress: the Strengthen Fisheries Management in New England Act of 2011.

My bill, HR 1013, reroutes funds collected through penalties imposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the improvement of New England fisheries.

Current law requires that the fines collected from fishermen who have violated marine resource laws be invested in NOAA’s Asset Forfeiture Fund (AFF).  As we have already heard in previous testimony, NOAA and the AFF have been the subjects of a wide range of accusations and investigations into the abuse and misuse of these funds.

Just last year, the Department of Commerce’s Inspector General found that these abuses included the use of monies from the Asset Forfeiture Fund to:
          ·         buy cars for federal agents;
          ·         cover trip expenses to conferences in exotic and distant locations; and
          ·         even purchase a $300,000 luxury vessel used by government employees.

It was subsequently determined that NOAA did not regularly audit the use of those funds and could not disclose precisely how the AFF monies were spent.

I introduced the Strengthen Fisheries Management in New England Act in order to right these wrongs and restore trust in our government through proper oversight.

My bill directs the Secretary of Commerce to provide the New England Fishery Management Council with the funds collected by NOAA as fines and penalties from New England’s fishermen to be used directly toward improving the research and management of our region’s most valuable resource.

The New England Fishery Management Council is charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to manage fisheries in the federal waters of New England, and each year it identifies research and monitoring priorities, most of which lack adequate funding.  In order to make sound management decisions, the Council must have the increased capacity to address these knowledge gaps.

The Strengthen Fisheries Management in New England Act will undoubtedly enable the Council to make better, more informed decisions that balance the continued protection of the marine ecosystem with the need for strong, profitable fishing businesses and coastal communities.

It is important to emphasize that this legislation does not increase federal spending. Rather, the bill re-directs existing funds.  In this way, monies will support and protect the many fishing-related jobs crucial to the economic health of our region – all of which depend on sound resource management.

As I said before, there is broad bipartisan support as the need to increase scientific research of stock assessments.  Here you have a panel of Members from both sides of the aisle who fully support this initiative.

In addition, I want to be recorded as a proud cosponsor of another bill, HR 2610, introduced by my colleague from Massachusetts, Mr. Frank, which I believe will also go a far way in protecting our fishing industry from excessive fines.

The fishing industry is a central part of Massachusetts’ and New England’s history, and remains a vital economic lifeline of our local communities. In recent years, our fishermen’s businesses have suffered due to inadequate data collection that dictates catch quantities. We can – and we must – implement fair and effective fisheries management policies while targeting government abuse and inefficient waste.

Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey, I thank you for allowing me to testify before this committee and I hope to serve as a resource to you as Congress continues to work on this important matter.

 

 

 

 

 

The following was released by the office of Congressman Jon Runyan

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday December 1st, Congressman Jon Runyan (R-NJ) will testify in front of the Natural Resources Committee to discuss his two bills that aim to create jobs and help the commercial fishing industry.

“I am thankful that the Natural Resources Committee is continuing its fight for blue collar American jobs in the fishing industry,” stated Congressman Runyan.  “Commercial and recreational fishermen play a large role in New Jersey’s economy, especially in coastal communities, like those in Ocean County.  These common sense bills will remove crushing regulatory barriers and create jobs while also balancing conservation concerns.” 
HR 1664, The American Angler Preservation Act aims to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.  Congressman Runyan’s bill would bring transparency and accountability to the fisheries management process.  This includes the federal government’s overly cautious decisions based on bad science and poor statistical data.

HR 2772, the bipartisan Saving Fishing Jobs Act of 2011 seeks to re-evaluate the process of instituting controversial catch shares instituted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  The bill would require the Secretary of Commerce to terminate a catch share program if it reduces the total number of fishermen in the program.  The bill would also, among other provisions, give local fishermen the opportunity to vote for or against catch share programs via a referendum vote.  HR 2772 is endorsed by the non-partisan consumer watch dog Food and Water Watch.

The full Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on multiple bills including, H.R. 1646 the American Angler Preservation Act and H.R. 2772 the Saving Fishing Jobs Act of 2011, which were introduced by Rep. Runyan.  Congressman Runyan is scheduled to testify at this hearing.  Both pieces of legislation are supported by the Garden State Seafood Association.

 

NEW BEDFORD — Leaders of the city's fishing industry praised Barney Frank's unwavering support for fishermen and his mastery of complex regulatory issues as word of his planned retirement spread along the waterfront Monday.

"Barney has been the leader for us in everything," said New Bedford's Rodney Avila, a lifelong fisherman who is also a member of the New England Fishery Management Council. "When he first got the district, he came down and met with fishermen. He said 'I can't give you everything you want but I can make sure you guys get treated fair' and he's been an advocate for us ever since."

The industry will miss Frank's considerable influence in Washington, Avila said, as well as his fighting spirit.

"One thing about Barney: He always tells it like it is and he doesn't back down," he said.

Read the complete story in The Standard-Times

 

 

 

 

 

Congressman Barney Frank, a tenacious advocate for the fishing industry, announced Monday his decision to retire from elective public service at the end of his term next year.

A singular figure for his mind, energy, wit, sharp tongue, sense of humor, hands-on approach and embodiment of values that trace to the economic liberalism of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the social enlightenment of Abraham Lincoln, Frank began his career in public service as the deputy mayor and innovator in Kevin White's Boston City Hall operation in 1968.

His congressional output expanded during the past and current term which featured the massive Dodd-Frank Act; it was an attempt — within the limits of the possible, Frank's terrain — to rein in the worst excesses of the banking and investment cultures that begat the financial decline from the housing bubble and the confidence and credit crises that continue to roll around the world.

Frank said in a news conference in Newton, where he lives, that — rather than run again — he would shift focus to defending the financial reform that bears his name and directing the need for deficit reduction to the military.

Read the complete story by Richard Gaines in The Gloucester Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

US Representative Barney Frank, the state’s highest-profile congressman and one of the nation’s leading liberal voices after being among its first openly gay elected officials, announced today that he will not seek reelection next year.

The Newton Democrat faced the prospect of a bruising reelection campaign next year after surviving a brutal battle in 2010. He also would have run in an altered district that retained his Newton stronghold but encompassed more conservative towns like Walpole.

In addition, Frank lost New Bedford, a blue-collar city where he had invested a lot of time and become a leading figure in the region’s fisheries debate.

“I don’t have to pretend to be nice to people I don’t like,” the famously irascible Frank told reporters and supporters during an early afternoon news conference at Newton City Hall.

Read the complete story at The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

At first look, the proposal is as dull, bureaucratic and routine as an agency request to Congress can be.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wanted to reshuffle its offices to establish a National Climate Service akin to the agency’s National Weather Service. It asked for no new funding to do so.

But in a political climate where talk of the earthly kind of climate can be radioactive, the answer in last week’s budget deal was “no.” Congress barred NOAA from launching what the agency bills as a “one-stop shop” for climate information.

Demand for such data is skyrocketing, NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco told Congress earlier this year. Farmers are wondering when to plant. Urban planners want to know whether groundwater will stop flowing under subdivisions. Insurance companies need climate data to help them set rates.

Read the complete story The Washington Post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

During congressional testimony last week, a presidential nominee acknowledged “problems” in the fisheries “Catch Share” program for New England fishermen.

Dr. Rebecca Blank, President Obama's nominee for deputy secretary of commerce, told Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, that while catch share is just one fisheries management approach and is working in other areas of the country, more “transparency and communication and collaboration” would be important moving forward. Blank also said there needs to better explanation of the science about fish stock sizes and catch limits.

“I think that there has not been as much consultation back and forth in terms of NOAA's interactions with some of the fisheries councils in an open and completely transparent way with some of the fisheries councils in the New England region,” Blank said to the Senate Commerce Committee. “We've obviously in the past had some problems with our law enforcement that I think we've completely cleaned up. And I think we've sometimes not been quite as transparent as we need to be about the science.”

Read the complete story from SeaCoast Online.

 

 

 

 

PORTLAND, Maine—Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine says the House has adopted a bill to exempt smaller fishing boats from EPA rules regulating discharges.

Pingree says the bill is good news for operators of fishing boats under 79 feet in length because it spares them from extensive permits. Without the legislation, vessels of any size with so-called "gray water" discharges would soon have to be permitted under the Clean Water Act.

Read the complete story by The AP at The Boston Globe.