U.S. Senate Passes Marine Fisheries Bill - U.S. Senate Passes Marine Fisheries Billby Mary Jane Williamson

June 20, 2006�Alexandria, VA�Yesterday, the full 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 lead the effort to reauthorize the act which bears his name. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, to which it is commonly 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 the future of recreational saltwater fishing.

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) has been actively involved in bringing important sportfishing issues before Members of Congress in the crafting of the bill. 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 through the development of new technologies.

"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), Barney Frank (D-MA) and Don Young (R-AK), is now pending in the House of Representatives. Both bills seek to improve recreational catch data, an issue highlighted by the National Research Council's report, issued in March of this year, which harshly criticized the current system as inaccurate and not suitable for fisheries management. The House version of the bill is expected to come up for a full House vote before Congress's annual August recess. ASA will continue to work with the House to ensure that the system for collecting recreational fishing data is both fair and managed appropriately. 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. Commenting on the importance of good management to good fishing, Gordon Robertson, ASA's vice president stated, "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."

The American Sportfishing Association is the sportfishing industry’s trade association, uniting more than 650 members of the sportfishing and boating industries with state fish and wildlife agencies, federal land and water management agencies, conservation organizations, angler advocacy groups and outdoor journalists. The American Sportfishing Association safeguards and promotes the enduring social, economic, and conservation values of sportfishing.