Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held an Executive Session and favorably reported out S.2856, the International Fisheries Agreement Clarification Act.
The bill was introduced by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), is and supported by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Paul Kirk (D-MA).
The bill's language is strongly supported by the fishing industry, and was approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has jurisdiction over fisheries.
Also today, Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Congressman John Tierney, Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC), and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) announced that they have introduced the House companion to the Snowe bill, H.R.4369, the International Fisheries Agreement Clarification Act.
In a press release, Congressman Frank's office describes the legislation as a bipartisan bill that would give the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) greater flexibility for the management of cod, haddock and flounder on Georges Bank.
The bill addresses a disparity between U.S. and Canadian law that is estimated to cost the regional economy over $150 million. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, the U.S. law governing fishing stocks, provides additional rebuilding flexibility to NFMS for fish stocks subject to international agreements. Currently, the U.S. State Department regards the George Bank Fishing accord between the U.S. and Canada as only an “understanding,” which does not trigger any flexibility under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The new bill would specifically define the Georges Bank accord as an “agreement,” providing NFMS with greater flexibility to manage those stocks. This is necessary because the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that fish stocks be completely rebuilt by 2014; Canadian law does not have a fixed timeline, which allows Canadian fish catch limits to exceed that of their American counterparts.
“American and Canadian fisherman should be on a level playing field,” said Frank (D-MA). “This bill will end the economic discrepancy that currently exists, and I will work with my colleagues to pass this legislation as soon as possible.”
“For too long the current system has been breeding inequities amongst our respective fishing communities,” said Congressman John F. Tierney (D-MA). “This legislation would standardize the framework for our local fishing industry and codify the agreement between our nations.”
“Reasonable, common sense fisheries policies that support both sustainable fishing communities and sustainable fisheries are critical to the long-term economic health of coastal states like Maine,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME). "New England fishermen are struggling hard to rebuild depleted fish stocks. With fish that ignore international boundaries, it only makes to sense to work with our neighbors to the North to jointly manage these stocks and make sure that all fishermen, both US and Canadian, take responsibility for rebuilding depleted fish stocks.”