April 2007 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Reauthorized
Good news for fisheries! In December 2006 Congress passed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (MSA) and President Bush signed it into law on January 12, 2007. The MSA is the primary law governing marine fisheries management in federal waters and the reauthorization contains new provisions such as requirements for annual catch limits. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is in the process of developing regulations for implementation and is seeking comments. Click here to download the Marine Committee's comments.
August 22, 2003 Make Your Voice Heard: Save the Fish!
The federal agency responsible for managing and conserving the fish in America's oceans, the National Marine Fisheries Service, is asking the public what we think about the job they've been doing. They've created an online comment form to enable you to submit a comment.
July 10, 2003 Action Alert: Fishing Quota Standards Act of 2003
July is time for fireworks, fishing trips, beaches, and family barbeques.
What better way to honor these traditions than by ensuring that America’s
oldest way of life, fishing, is preserved for the future? Help protect
America’s fish and fishermen by sending a fax to your Representative today
asking him/her to cosponsor the “Fishing Quota Standards Act of 2003,” H.R.
2621. Doing so will help ensure an abundant supply of ocean fish for summer
barbeques in years to come.
On June 26, 2003 Congressmen Allen (D-ME) and Delahunt (D-MA), along with 9
other ocean conservation champions introduced the Fishing Quota Standards
Act of 2003, H.R. 2621, a bill that establishes standards for Individual
Fishing Quota (IFQ) programs. IFQs grant fishermen exclusive access to a
certain percentage of the fish in a fishery before the fish are caught. The
Marine Fish Conservation Network (Network) is concerned that privatizing
this public resource will facilitate the corporatization of our ocean
fisheries with potentially devastating impacts on coastal communities. We
are equally concerned that poorly regulated IFQs will do little to improve
the conservation of ocean fish.
The Fishing Quota Standards Act contains national standards that, at a
minimum will:
Promote the conservation of ocean fish by providing additional and
substantial conservation benefits to the fishery.
Limit the duration of IFQ programs and quota shares to 7 years.
Provide for a fair and equitable initial allocation of quota shares.
Ensure that IFQ programs and shares are reviewed and renewed only if they
are meeting or exceeding the conservation requirements of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act. If not, they must be revised or revoked.
Define and prohibit the excessive consolidation of quota shares.
Please fax your U.S. Representative using the form found at:
www.conservefish.org/action and ask him/her to cosponsor the “Fishing Quota
Standards Act of 2003.”
June 26, 2003 Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities
Report by two Canadian biologists published in a May 2003 issue of Nature
found that 90 percent of the stocks of the world's biggest fish, such as
tuna,
swordfish and marlin, have simply been fished out.
Nature: Rapid Depletion of Predatory Fish Species by Meyers and Worm
June 26, 2003 Fisheries Statement
More than 50 Pew Marine Conservation Fellows issued an Ocean
Action Statement for Fisheries Conservation. The Statement calls for
governments around the world to take specific actions immediately to help
restore sustainable fisheries.
March 25, 2003 Alert: Angling for Disaster
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has introduced the deceptively titled “Fisheries Science and Management Improvement Act of 2003”. This legislation proposes changes that would gut many of the strongest conservation provisions governing ocean fishing. Help stop this bad legislation before it gets started.
Januray 28, 2003 Don’t Gamble Our Fish Away
The Congressional moratorium on the creation of new Individual Fishing Quota programs (IFQs) has expired. IFQs give fishermen an exclusive claim to a certain percentage of the fish in a fishery before the fish are caught. Help ensure that conservation is enhanced and the interests of fishermen and fishing communities are considered and protected. To learn more about IFQs visit the Marine Fish Conservation Network’s website.
October 22, 2002
The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) comment on the proposed rule under 50 CFR Part 300, Antarctic Marine Living Resources; CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Permits; Vessel Monitoring System; Catch Documentation Scheme; Fishing Season; Registered Agent; and Disposition of Seized AMLR which appeared in the October 22, 2002 Federal Register, vol. 67, no. 204.
April 5, 2002 Climate Change and Fisheries in the Gulf of Maine
A Symposium sponsored by the Sierra Club National Marine Wildlife and Habitat Committee Cooperating parties: College of the Atlantic, National Marine Fisheries Service. With financial support from Environmental Defense.
