On July 10, the House Resources Committee endorsed and moved to the floor of the House of Representatives, legislation which significantly weakens current legal protections for American’s ocean fish. Entitled innocuously, the "Magnuson-Stevens Act Amendments of 2002" (H.R. 4749), the bill weakens the fish conservation standards established by Congress in 1996. Today, as fish population collapses are driving fishermen out of business in New England and along the West Coast, the bill authored by Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) rolls back the conservation and sustainability provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and will further hasten the destruction of America’s fish populations and the death of the industry that depends on them. Among the most troubling of the bill’s provisions is its elimination of the current fishery management plan requirement to assess and report on bycatch, the catching and killing of non- target ocean wildlife. Coupled with the bill’s effective elimination of the requirement to minimize the adverse impacts of fishing on important marine fish habitats and the weakening of the legal definition of "overfished," H.R. 4749 will reverse the three main conservation improvements gained through passage of the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 1996. "A recent federal report showed that nearly one-third of assessed federally managed fish stockare overfished, experiencing overfishing, or both," says Lee Crockett, executive director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network (Network), a national coalition of more than 150 commercial and recreational fishing groups, environmental organizations and aquariums.
   "To consider rolling back any of the conservation standards that were put in place six years ago is irresponsible, and dangerous, to the future of fish and fishing." Ray Pringle, president of the Florida Fishermen’s Federation and a 4th generation commercial fisherman agrees, "In Florida, the battle between the larger corporate boats and the smaller independent boats has caused many small businessmen to go out of business. Ironically, when the government has to restrict access to fishing, it’s the small boat fishermen, who by definition are also conservationists, that get squeezed out while the corporate fleet just moves on." Call your elected representatives today and urge their support for conservation amendments to H.R. 4749. Unless the Gilchrest bill is significantly amended to restore existing legal requirements to identify and rebuild overfished stocks, report and minimize bycatch, protect essential fish habitat, and incorporate meaningful IFQ standards, urge them not to support it. For more information on this issue please visit www.conservefish.org.