On June 18, Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) Executive
Director Jim Donofrio testified before the House Natural
Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans
and Wildlife, chaired by Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU).
The hearing was convened to review H.R. 21 a bill which
would establish a new national policy for our oceans. The
RFA was the only recreational fishing organization invited
to testify before the Congressional Committee.
Introduced by Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), H.R. 21 is meant to
strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration while establishing a national and regional
ocean governance structure, and for other purposes.
According to the RFA, H.R. 21 would add undue bureaucracy to
the fisheries management process, to the eventual exclusion
of fishermen. Donofrio told House members that the RFA
continues to have substantial objections to sections of the
bill, and cautioned that any new ocean policies mandated by
Congress should not overstep the basic tenets of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
"RFA maintains that Magnuson must remain the nation's
primary fisheries law and that any national ocean policy
spawned from H.R. 21 provide guidance and recommendations to
Magnuson, not supersede it," Donofrio said during the
afternoon session, following a nearly three-hour break in
testimony due to a heavy calendar of congressional voting.
"Rigid rebuilding requirements under the current Magnuson
may not be compatible with a more science based plan such as
an ecosystem based approach," Donofrio told Representatives,
adding "one must respect the limitations of our current
science and not force ecosystem based management simply to
advance a political purpose. We must proceed with caution
as the consequences to the fishing community and resource
could be profound."
Several environmental groups turned out to support the
legislation introduced in January, including Senior Officer
at Pew Environment Group, Christopher Mann. "The damage to
our fish stocks was done over many years and cannot be
quickly repaired," Mann said in his testimony, adding "based
on the latest National Marine Fisheries Service report to
Congress on the status of fish stocks, nearly a quarter of
the stocks that have been assessed and have status
determinations are overfished, subject to overfishing, or
both." The Pew lobbyist went on to say, "I urge the
committee to be vigilant in ensuring that from now on
science, not politics, maintains the upper hand in fisheries
management."
Despite the environmental groups' pressure on Congress for
this new overriding oceans legislation, key members of
Congress sitting on the committee spoke out against the
legislation. "This bill's not going to go anywhere," said
Rep. Don Young (R-AK). "You may try to work it through the
House, you may have the Speaker help you out, but I'll stop
it dead in the Senate, because you're not going to mess with
my waters in Alaska, you're not going to mess with my
fishermen as you've done in the past," Young added.
Young called H.R. 21 bad legislation," and warned fellow
Representatives that the bill was being pushed by "an
overzealous group of people," who the Alaska Congressman
said is opposed to fishing. "I think possibly the people
who wrote this bill have another alternative motive and
that's no involvement by Americans, Alaskans, in our
waters," Young said of some of the environmental groups
supporting H.R. 21. "They're against everything instead of
trying to use science to make it work, and that's the group
that I do not respect because they're not being up front or
being honest."
"Creating a new bureaucracy and potentially costing
taxpayers more money is not the right approach," said
Natural Resources Committee ranking member Doc Hastings
(R-Wash.). "Finding the balance between conserving our ocean
and its resources and supporting uses of our resources
should be our focus." Subcommittee ranking member Henry
Brown (R-SC) echoed Hastings' statement, asking whether such
a policy is prudent at this time. "We would be better served
to see how the administration moves forward with its process
before we move legislation," Brown said.
Donofrio explained that the jurisdiction of the regional
councils and Department of Commerce ultimately ends with
fishermen, and if ecosystem based management is the goal for
the US fishery management system, it would be necessary to
first address non-fishing impacts on marine fish stocks.
"Ecosystem based management is a data hungry approach and
terrestrial and atmospheric stressors impact the marine
resources," Donofrio told the Committee, explaining that a
variety of ecological processes influence fish populations
outside of fishing, including climate and weather change.
In written testimony, Donofrio said "RFA supports the
concept of ecosystem based management...so long as, humans,
including traditional activities such as recreational
fishing, are not just considered but protected."
To see transcripts of the testimony and view the
subcommittee hearing in its entirety, visit the committee
website at
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov.
Click here to read RFA's written testimony.
Click here for the complete hearing on video (Jim Donofrio
at 1:06:06 mark).
