Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 30 July 2018

Senate looms as big test for changes to U.S. fishing laws

By PATRICK WHITTLE ard, conservation director
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — for the American Sportfish-
Fishermen and environ- ing Association, which sup-
mentalists are at odds over ports the changes. But en-
a suite of changes to Amer- vironmental groups have
ican fishing laws that was painted a dire picture and
approved by the House of described the reauthoriza-
Representatives, and the tion as a rollback of a land-
proposal faces a new hur- mark conservation law. Ted
dle in the Senate. Morton, director of federal
The House passed changes ocean policy for The Pew
to the Magnuson-Stevens Charitable Trusts, said he is
Act, a 42-year-old set of already looking to the Sen-
rules designed to protect ate to prevent the bill's pas-
American fisheries from sage.
overharvest, on July 11, "This bill increases the risk of
largely along party lines. overfishing in ocean wa-
Environmental groups have ters, delays the rebuilding
derided the changes as of depleted fish popula-
antithetical to the purpose tions, and undercuts the
of the act, which many fish- important role science
ermen and conservationists plays in management de-
credit with saving Ameri- cisions," he said. "We hope
can seafood stocks such as In this Friday, July 27, 2018, photo, the Ruth & Pat, a herring seine boat, motors out of the fog off the Senate will take a dif-
New England sea scallops the coast of South Portland, Maine. ferent tack with legislation
and Bering Sea snow crab. Associated Press that reflects our country's
Supporters of the House commitment to healthy fish
bill and several commer- said. sial portions of the bill would federal spending, and sup- populations and coastal
cial and recreational fish- The Magnuson-Stevens Act take away a requirement porters say it would save communities."
ing groups have said the guides the U.S. fishing indus- for annual catch limits for about $100 million over a The bill passed by a count
changes merely provide try, which generated more some fish species. It would similar bill that passed the of 222-193 in the House of
managers with flexibility than $200 billion in sales in also change rules about re- House in 2015. Representatives. Only nine
and refocus the Magnu- 2015. It touches every fish- quirements to rebuild over- Supporters have also said Democrats voted in favor
son-Stevens Act on sound ery from Washington state's fished stocks. the bill modernizes the of passage. Republicans
science. salmon to Maine's lobster. The bill is also designed management of recre- have a much slimmer edge
The big question is whether Officials with the National to give fishery regulators ational fishing, an industry in the Senate, where they
a bill will also pass the Sen- Oceanic and Atmospheric more alternatives in how that employs thousands. control 51 seats, and 35
ate before midterm elec- Administration announced they manage fish stocks. It "Anglers are leading conser- Senate seats are the sub-
tions. No bill has been pro- this year that the number doesn't authorize any new vationists," said Mike Leon- ject of elections this fall.q
posed yet, and elections of American fish stocks that
could bring changes that can be described as over-
make it more difficult for fished has hit an all-time
such a bill to pass. low under the stewardship
Sen. Dan Sullivan, an Alas- of the act, which last un-
ka Republican and the derwent major changes in
chairman of the Senate 2006.
Subcommittee on Oceans, Republican Rep. Don
Atmosphere, Fisheries and Young, of Alaska, guided
Coast Guard, is pursuing a new changes to passage
Senate version of the bill, in the House this month.
but no timeline is in place The House Committee on
yet, a spokesman said. Natural Resources, led by
"There's healthy agreement bill supporter and Utah Re-
across Capitol Hill that re- publican Rep. Rob Bishop,
authorizing the Magnuson- released a statement that
Stevens Acts is long over- the bill gets rid of "unscien-
due," said the spokesman, tific timeframes" that "un-
Matt Shuckerow. Sullivan necessarily restrict access
has already held numerous to fisheries."
hearings on the subject, he One of the most controver-