The Magnuson
Metamorphosis
Serious debate has now begun in the halls of Congress on
reauthorizing the Magnuson Act or the Sustainable Fisheries Act, as
it is also known. As
the battle heats up, proposals are flying from everywhere on changes
that should be made to the law. The fishing industry is
trying to make it more reasonable and realistic in the real world of
the fishermen while others are trying to tighten up the wording,
which if successful, would further hurt the New England fishing
industry.
The Magnuson Act primarily affects the groundfish
industry but indirectly also affects the lobster fishery. Ground fishermen need to be
able to go to work just as lobstermen do. All fishermen need to be
able to earn a decent living and the law, as currently structured,
has severely cut the chances that they can do that. Fishermen, when they can’t
groundfish, go lobstering and one can’t blame them. Afterall, the bills still
need to be paid. This,
however, adds more pressure on to the lobster fishery which as we
already know is smoldering in its own pressure cooker. Then too, looking at it from
another side, it is helpful to all fish stocks and also to fishermen
if they are able to participate to some extent in a number of
fisheries in order to earn their income. By being able to do some
groundfishing, some lobstering and maybe a few other fisheries, no
stock gets pounded as hard.
This actually is or would be good for the marine resources as
a whole. Unfortunately,
however, this is very difficult to do given the current climate in
management under these federal laws.
Provisions in the Magnuson Act also affect another
federal law, the Atlantic Coastal Act, as it is known in its “short
title”. Lobster is
managed under this law rather then under Magnuson. Many of the definitions and
terms such as “Overfishing” or “Best Available Science” are the same
in both Acts. If
Magnuson can be adjusted to have more fishermen friendly management
rules, the changes there will most likely be adopted for the
Atlantic Coastal Act too.
This would serve to help the lobster industry’s continuing
struggle on the lobster management
front.
Recently Congressmen Barney Frank and Edward Markey have
come under fire by the Marine Fish Conservation Network, another
self-righteous conservation group, for supporting changes to
Magnuson that could help fishermen survive. The conservation group in
its letter to “everyone” wants to “help” the fish stocks and
fishermen by making the Magnuson law more restrictive and harsher then it is
now.
The two Congressmen along with some other legislators
have been trying to work with fishermen groups to see if changes can
be made that will keep fishermen fishing while still helping the
fish stocks. They have
been using the ideas that have been submitted by, in our state
anyway, the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership. These ideas came from
meetings the MFP held with fishermen, many of whom as it turned out
were lobstermen, on what was wrong with Magnuson and how it could be
fixed. Many of our
Association members took part in those discussions and we, as a
member Association of the Partnership, have been supporting those
results. While
many of the changes, such as definition changes, better science
requirements, more reasonable timetables and other adjustments, can
help the groundfish industry, they also would help the lobster
industry as well.
We support Congressmen Frank and Markey’s initiatives to
help the fishermen of this state. We also will support our
other Congressional legislators who are trying to do the same. We want them to know that we
stand with them as we do with the Partnership’s proposals and we
stand against those groups that would want to see a tightening of
unreasonable measures that would only serve to further strangle the
fin-fishermen and increase the pressure on the lobster fishery as a
by-product.
The Magnuson Act and its cousin, The Atlantic Coastal
Act, can still deliver their goals of sustainable fish stocks which
we all agree is a necessity. We can, however, accomplish
those goals in a more sane and reasonable way by including the
proposals submitted by the Partnership in the new version of the
Magnuson-Stevens Sustainable Fisheries Act. We would encourage our
entire Congressional delegation to insist that these changes be
made.
Why Can’t We Make The Magnuson “Rock Rule”
Workable?
Bill Adler
Executive Director
07/02
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