CONSERVATION CORNER
July 24, 2006
Senate Passes Fisheries Bill
by James L. Cummins

Recently, the U.S. Senate approved the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, which moved forward with strong bipartisan support. Senator Ted Stevens (R AK) successfully led the effort to reauthorize the act. The Magnuson Stevens Act, to which it is referred, is the most important law governing management of fish in federal marine waters. The new bill makes numerous changes to the Act, many of which directly address issues important to recreational saltwater fishing.

Wildlife Mississippi and the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) have been actively involved in bringing important sportfishing issues before Members of Congress in the crafting of this and other fisheries bills. The Senate bill includes important issues for recreational anglers and marine fisheries conservation including: improving the role of science in fisheries management; guidelines to regulate the establishment of no fishing areas; evaluating the economic impacts of all sectors when making allocation decisions; improving recreational fishing data by establishing a national registry of recreational saltwater anglers; and reducing bycatch.

“We appreciate Senator Stevens’ willingness to listen to the issues important to the sportfishing industry. We will continue to work with the Senate and the House as the bill moves forward to final passage,” said Mike Nussman, ASA’s President and CEO. “The basic elements of both bills form a good basis to move regulation forward to improve fishery resources and recreational fishing opportunities.”

A similar bill, sponsored by Representatives Richard Pombo (R CA) and others, is now pending in the House of Representatives. Both bills seek to improve recreational catch data. The House version of the bill is expected to come up for a full House vote before Congress's annual August recess. Wildlife Mississippi and the ASA will continue to work to ensure that the system for collecting recreational fishing data is both fair and managed appropriately. The ASA is concerned that provisions relating to catch limits could penalize recreational anglers unfairly if the data are not improved.

Saltwater anglers contribute over $31 billion annually to the United States economy. Many communities in coastal states depend on sportfishing to support their local economies, especially the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Recreational anglers and the businesses that serve them depend on abundant, sustainable and accessible fisheries. We look forward to having a new Magnuson Stevens Act that furthers the protection of our fishery resources and we look forward to working with the entire Congress to restore the saltwater fisheries resources that were damaged due to Hurricane Katrina.