12.07.06

Cantwell Applauds Senate Passage of Revised Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Law

Legislation includes improved tsunami warning system for Washington’s coastal communities

WASHINGTON, DC – Thursday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded the Senate’s unanimous approval of legislation reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The MSA is the main law governing fishing in federal waters and was last updated in 1996.

“I’m proud to uphold and build on the legacy of Washington Senator Warren Magnuson, whose vision helped preserve our robust and vibrant fishing communities,” said Cantwell. “This bill establishes science-based limits to end over-fishing and ensures the long-term prospects of Washington’s multibillion dollar fishing industry.”

Thursday’s Senate action marks a major step forward for the reauthorization of the MSA—a key recommendation of two national ocean policy commissions. The reauthorizing legislation, the Stevens-Inouye International Fisheries Monitoring and Compliance Legacy Act of 2006 (H.R. 5946), is now headed to the House for consideration in the closing days of the Congressional session.

Cantwell, as ranking member on the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Fisheries and the Coast Guard, worked closely with Commerce Committee Chair Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Subcommittee Chair Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to reach an agreement with key members of the House and Senate on a consensus package. The final package would strengthen the 1976 law, while still recognizing the needs of coastal communities. It also incorporates specific recommendations made by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy to promote conservation of our nation’s fisheries while supporting a robust national maritime industry.

The legislation strengthens the role of science in fishery management decisions, and sets national standards for fishing quota programs that will improve safety at sea, reduce fleet overcapitalization, and ensure productive fish stocks in the future. The bill ensures National Environmental Policy Act compliance while streamlining procedures to better mesh with the fishery management planning process. The legislation also makes improvements to the nation’s tsunami warning and mitigation system to protect life and property along our coastlines. Cantwell was also able to include a specific directive to complete tsunami inundation mapping studies for inland bodies of water, such as the Puget Sound.

The Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, known as the Magnuson-Stevens Act is the landmark law guiding the management of our nation’s commercial fisheries in federal waters—valued at more than $31.6 billion. The commercial fishing industry contributes as much as $3 billion to Washington state’s economy each year. There are approximately 3,000 vessels in Washington’s fishing fleet, employing about 10,000 fishermen. Seafood processors employ 3,800 Washingtonians, and fish wholesalers employ an additional 1,000.

The bill also:

  • Codifies the Puget Sound Regional Shellfish Settlement, an agreement between Washington state Treaty Tribes and shellfish growers over tribal rights to shellfish beds. In exchange for the right to harvest shellfish on tidelands owned or leased by shellfish growers, the federal government and the State of Washington agree to compensate the tribes $22 million and $11 million, respectively.
  • Calls for a study by the National Research Council on the increasing acidity of the oceans due to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and oceans.
  • Contains a provision to promote research into deep sea corals, such as those recently discovered off the Washington coast, and promotes the protection of these productive habitats.

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