WASHINGTON – On the eve of the "Keep Fishermen Fishing" rally in Washington, the Pew Environment Group has urged Congress not to pass the flexibility bills at the center of the rally's demands.
The flexibility bills at the top of the rally's list of proposed changes and reforms are H.R. 3061, The Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011 introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and the Senate companion S.632 introduced by Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY). The bills have been co-sponsored by a bi-partisan group of lawmakers in both the House and Senate.
Pew also opposes another bill backed by rally organizers and participants, H.R. 1646, The American Angler Preservation Act. introduced by Rep. Jon Runyan. (R-NJ)
The contact for the Pew campaign against Magnuson change is Dave Bard who can be reached at dbard@pewtrusts.org or 202.778.4551
The Pallone/Schumer bills are cosponsored by:
Sen Brown, Scott P. [MA] – 3/28/2011
Sen Burr, Richard [NC] – 3/17/2011
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] – 3/17/2011
Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] – 5/19/2011
Sen Hagan, Kay [NC] – 3/17/2011
Rep Andrews, Robert E. [NJ-1] – 9/23/2011
Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] – 2/15/2012
Rep Christensen, Donna M. [VI] – 1/24/2012
Rep Crenshaw, Ander [FL-4] – 12/6/2011
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] – 9/23/2011
Rep Grimm, Michael G. [NY-13] – 12/16/2011
Rep Hanabusa, Colleen W. [HI-1] – 11/4/2011
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] – 9/23/2011
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] – 10/6/2011
Rep LoBiondo, Frank A. [NJ-2] – 10/6/2011
Rep Scott, Tim [SC-1] – 12/16/2011
Rep Southerland, Steve [FL-2] – 1/24/2012
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] – 12/6/2011
Rep Turner, Robert L. [NY-9] – 12/7/2011
The Runyan bill is cosponsored by:
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] – 5/12/2011
Rep Long, Billy [MO-7] – 5/4/2011
Rep Mica, John L. [FL-7] – 5/3/2011
Rep Nugent, Richard [FL-5] – 6/13/2011
Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15] – 12/2/2011
Rep Southerland, Steve [FL-2] – 6/13/2011
According to Pew Environment's press release:
"Thirty-six years after enactment of the law that is now known as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), we are turning a corner on ending overfishing (taking fish faster than they can reproduce) and rebuilding our nation's valuable fish populations. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) reports that 23 depleted stocks have been rebuilt since 2000. In addition, it has estimated that fully rebuilt U.S. fish populations would generate $216 billion in annual sales impacts and support 2.5 million full- and part-time U.S. jobs in commercial and recreational fisheries."
"So-called flexibility bills-including H.R. 1646, the "American Angler Preservation Act"; H.R. 3061, the "Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011"; and S. 632, the "Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011"-would undermine the bipartisan conservation provisions of the MSA by creating loopholes that could extend timelines indefinitely for rebuilding depleted fish populations. Doing so would raise fishing pressure on depleted populations while increasing the difficulty and cost of their recovery. These bills also would allow fishery managers to put short-term gains for a few ahead of the nation's investment in healthy fish populations, which provide income and jobs for many."
Read the complete release from Pew Environment