November 28, 2018 — The Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC), a group of seven harvester associations that previously opposed efforts to modify the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), is already working to win over the next US Congress.
A statement issued this week by the group makes no mention of Alaska representative Don Young’s bill, HR 200, to reauthorize MSA while giving regional fishery management councils more flexibility when making decisions about harvest limits, but the group expressed strong opposition to the measure early last year. It also opposed S. 1520, a bill sponsored by Mississippi senator Roger Wicker that was championed by the recreational fishing industry.
Young’s bill is seen as being in trouble as it expires in just a few days as the 115th Congress comes to an end and the House is reconstituted in January with Democrats, who have largely rejected HR 200, in control.
“Fisheries policy must protect America’s marine resources and strengthen fishing communities, not advance corporate agendas,” said Dwayne Oberhoff, executive director of the Morro Bay (California) Community Quota Fund, one of the seven groups, in a statement released Tuesday by the FCC.
“We look forward to meeting and working with members of the 116th Congress to ensure a sustainable fishing future for American consumers and the men and women working hard every day to provide them with locally harvested, sustainable seafood.”