WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, questioned Eric Schwaab, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, at a hearing this morning examining the implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. On Friday, Senator Snowe attended the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, where she spoke with a number of fishermen who conveyed their concerns regarding fisheries management.
Senator Snowe illustrated the effects of inadequate stock assessments and poor fisheries management by showing Administrator Schwaab one of the last 130 sardine cans ever produced at the Prospect Harbor cannery, the last cannery in the United States. Senator Snowe stated, “Uncertainty in our stock assessments causes our fishermen to lose business, not to mention traditions that are lost forever. Regrettably, this is not a hypothetical – this is being played out and was painfully demonstrated in Prospect Harbor, Maine, which had to shut its doors when the herring supply was abruptly curtailed by arbitrary reductions in herring catch. This uncertainty was costly – it cost fishermen who were not able to catch as many herring, it cost 130 people their jobs when the cannery closed, it robbed a rural town of income from property taxes.”
In her line of questioning, Senator Snowe addressed the implementation of the sector-based system a year ago following a number of regulation changes over the years which had impeded Maine’s fisherman. Noting her conversations with a number of fisherman at the Maine Fishermen’s forums last Friday, who indicated that the sector system is increasing revenue over last year’s levels she reiterated that their concerns that the new sector-based approach might not continue.
“One of the concerns that was expressed at the forum was somehow that the sector-based approach might not last or stay in place. First and foremost I think it is important to get assurances that we can continue this program…albeit with increased catch-limits of some of the species in the groundfishery… First of all, do you think we should stay the course in sector-based management?” asked Senator Snowe.
In response, Administrator Schwaab said, “Yes, obviously there are some adjustments that might be called for, but in general staying the course is the right plan of action.”
If the New England Fishery Management council had not determined to develop a new approach from the former Days-at-sea method, fisherman would be facing a limitation of as little as 14 days to make a living for the entire year. While the data for the first year of implementation is preliminary, the catch information for the New England fishery is encouraging. Specifically, revenue is up 8 percent for the entire industry – and the haddock catch has increased from 7,500 metric tons last year to over 8,000 metric tons.
Senator Snowe also questioned Administrator Schwaab about total allowable catch limits in the groundfishery. In New England, there are 19 separate stocks all at distinct moments in recovery, with seven species having been fully rebuilt and the remaining species across the spectrum in recovery. Yet, the management of this complex groundfishery individually assigns total allowable catch limitations without the practical reality that in addition to this control, the first species that reaches its limit can completely shut down the entire fishery.
For example, based on the latest figures from NMFS only 16.5 percent of allowable catch of the Haddock from Georges Bank have been caught and only 26 percent of the Pollock. The remaining 46,000 metric tons of Haddock and Pollock that can be caught this year are restricted by other species such as Georges Bank Winter Flounder and Yellowtail Flounder, which federal policies strictly limit, and prevent fishermen from even attempting to catch the healthier stock.
A full copy of Senator Snowe’s prepared remarks, follows:
This Committee passed the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act more than five years ago and reinstated the critical balance between marine environments and the economic imperative of commercial fishing to coastal communities in Maine and elsewhere. I want to welcome Assistant Administrator Schwaab who over this past weekend joined me again at the Maine’s Fishermen Forum and we both heard directly from the men and women who have unsurpassed knowledge about the current status of the New England groundfishery. I also want to thank Chief Scientist DeMaster, as well as the rest of the witnesses, for their testimony today and their work to achieve crucial stability in our fisheries.
This is a critical moment for New England’s groundfishery as we assess preliminary data from the 2010 fishing season, and look forward to 2011. It is essential that as we review the results from the first year of implementation of the sector-based system that we remember that our fishery was in a crisis at this time last year. The Days-at-Sea program had created a downward spiral for the industry, from 65 days, 35 days and the prospects of as little as 14 days at sea for 2010, we were running out of days and moreover we were running out of fish. The 2009 Status of US Fisheries listed 12 of the 20 species as overfished in New England and the fewest cod were caught in New England over 60 years of records.
Today, compared to last year, revenue has increased, my fishermen informed me that the catch of healthy stocks including Haddock and Red Fish are up by more than 10 percent, and critically bycatch has fallen from historical levels of 15 percent to roughly 2.5 percent. The bottom line is that the sector based system, while it cannot immediately turn around our fishery, is providing cautious optimism for our fishermen for the first time in decades.
As a result, it is imperative that we redouble our efforts to improve the management of the sector based system. While I strongly believe in the intent of a science-based approach to fisheries management, we must also ensure that science is being efficiently applied and working for our fishermen. Currently, policies are burdened by antiquated stock assessments as well as the painstaking process of federal regulations, such as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. For example, I understand that while Canada is able to implement changes to its fisheries management in four months, bureaucratic delays lead to a full year of waiting for changes in US policy. We must recognize that cumbersome policies cost thousands of jobs today, and frankly, federal agencies must exhibit a sense of urgency to address the crisis in our fisheries.
There are opportunities for action today to improve the management of the fisheries. Specifically, I authored the “International Fisheries Clarification Act” which was signed into law this January that corrected an interpretation of a bilaterally managed fishery and enabled the New England Fishery Management Council, NOAA, and Canadian fishery managers to recommend an increase in catch levels for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder by 44 percent for 2011 compared to the expected catch limit for this coming fishing year. Critically, this is a constrained species that provide additional dividends in additional catch of less constrained species. We must similarly act with respect to streamlining federal regulations through the NEPA process and accelerate collection of baseline data that establishes the critical Total Allowable Catch limitations.
Though the intent of Magnuson-Stevens was to foster cooperation in rebuilding overfished stocks while retaining jobs, I remain gravely concerned that fisheries management in New England is in a state of antagonism, mistrust, and dysfunction. The Department of Commerce’s Inspector General Report issued roughly a year ago, and the CBS News investigative report last month, revealed federal enforcement officials as reckless and vindictive rather than the trusted, honest, and efficient public servants that the complex management of critical fisheries stocks requires.
I will not stand as individuals at NOAA and NMFS undermine, harass, and in some cases, bankrupt the very fishermen they should partner with to rebuild our nation’s fisheries. I look forward to the testimony of Administrator Schwaab of the National Marine Fisheries Service to ascertain exactly how the Service is implementing the Corrective Action Plan to address the IG’s findings.
Make no mistake, the sobering assessment from the report must result in action, not further planning, and I for one will work aggressively to remove any perverse incentives that lead to the excessive fining of fishermen merely to increase budgets. Logically, fines should be invested in restoring species harmed through violations – not more funding for more enforcement. Further, the detailed abuses of the Asset Forfeiture Fund must lead to an immediate overhaul that will, as I called for last summer, freeze the fund until the full scope of mismanagement is revealed and a new, transparent policy is established that mandates rigorous oversight.
The bottom line is that the success of Magnuson-Stevens and the recovery of the groundfishery will only be accomplished if we build a climate of trust between fishing communities and regulators. Increasing the frequency of stock assessments and data collection through cooperative research are critical in reducing the uncertainty of the stocks – while rebuilding the broken relationships between the regulators and the regulated. As you have said, Administrator Schwaab, counting fish is a lot like counting trees, except that fish swim and consume each other. It is challenging and requires complex methodology, but these assessments have far-reaching economic consequences. In Maine, hypothetical stock assessments for herring directly led to the closure of the Stinson Cannery in Prospect Harbor, exacting further job losses in a distressed community.
These assessments have dramatic ramifications – and can lead to draconian decisions – for coastal economies. This critical baseline evaluation may be the deciding factor between employment or unemployment and a tradition being passed down to children or a way of life being lost. I have long believed that management decisions are simply disconnect from the economic reality and authored National Standard 8 in the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996, which requires economic assessments of management decisions. We need to build on this and require the Secretary of Commerce to incorporate this analysis into management decisions. As a result, I am pleased to be a cosponsor of Senator Scott Brown’s legislation, the Fishing Impact Statement Honesty Act, or FISH Act, that would require independent assessments of the socioeconomic impact of fishing regulations on already-beleaguered fishing communities.
While rebuilding our stock is an economic opportunity with potential to generate $133 billion in sales and employ 2 million Americans, the policies must work for all fishermen, for all boat sizes, and for every port. We must learn from the challenges of the 2010 fishery and more effectively balance the rebuilding of our fishery and retention of our historical fishing communities. I look forward to an insightful debate today of how Magnuson-Stevens is – and is not – effectively doing what it was intended to do, and how this Committee can assist in rebuilding fishing stocks while retaining our historic fishing communities.
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See the video of Senator Snowe's remarks.