September 19, 2014 — Sen. Mark Begich says the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act will not be moving forward without Alaska’s input.
Begich, a Democrat, chairs the Oceans and Fisheries subcommittee in the US Senate. He says Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s bill (introduced on September 16) was intended to lay out language important to the Republican’s home state. It won’t necessarily be the final language in the bill.
Magnuson-Stevens regulates all commercial and sport fishing in federal waters.
Begich spoke on Friday (9-19-14) with KCAW’s Robert Woolsey.
Begich – I think what he’s trying to do is say to his folks in Florida, Look, here’s what I’m fighting for for you. Which makes sense. He needs to put his scorecard down as he works on these issues. We see this as not in conflict, but potentially complementary. To me, when I was told about it, it was not a big issue. He’s doing what he needs to do to make sure his folks in Florida understand what he’s working on. Because when you talk to folks in Florida, when you say Magnuson-Stevens Act, most people would say, What is that about? When you say Magnuson-Stevens, everyone knows it’s about Alaskan fisheries and those other guys.