news release
from
BARNEY FRANK
 

October 19, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Peter Kovar 202.225.9400

FRANK SAYS PROBLEMS WITH NEW FISHING RULES UNDERLINE NEED FOR RE-WRITE OF MAGNUSON ACT

Congressman Barney Frank said today that, while the newly announced Framework 42 groundfish regulations – scheduled to go into effect on November 22 – will finally allow fishermen to have a clear idea of the rules under which they have to operate, he remains frustrated by a regulatory process that takes too long, and makes it difficult to adopt alternative strategies that could allow fishermen greater access to healthier fish stocks and help mitigate continued reductions in fishing opportunities. 

Frank added that he would continue pressing for the new regulations to be implemented in the fairest possible manner, but that the problems with both the details of the actual rules and the process by which they were developed illustrate the need for Congressional passage of a comprehensive reauthorization of the Magnuson Act, the primary federal fishery management law. 

“I remain very concerned over both the general restrictions on fishing and the differential Days at Sea counting plans that are included in the Framework,” Frank said.  “The overall reductions will make it even more difficult for our fisherman to make a living, and the differential counting will be especially harmful to the inshore fishing fleet, because it will tend to increase safety risks for smaller vessels that may attempt to fish in more dangerous, offshore areas to avoid the 2 for 1 DAS penalty.  It is a top priority of mine in Congress to pass a Magnuson bill that provides the kind of scientific improvements, rebuilding flexibility and safety enhancements that will allow us to avoid this sort of result in the future, and give us a fishery management system that promotes conservation of both fishing stocks and fishing communities.” 

“At a time when new studies further emphasize the health benefits of seafood, it is bad policy for us to be putting in place a management regime that makes it harder for people to earn a decent living by catching fresh fish,” Frank added.  “I am disappointed that alternative proposals, put forward by people active in the industry that could have given much needed flexibility to this framework, were not formally considered, or else excluded from the final rules.  The new version of the Magnuson Act for which I am pushing will make it easier for the widest possible range of scientific approaches and management solutions to be part of the fishery management process.”

“I also believe the federal fishery managers need to do a better job of implementing management measures in a more timely fashion,” Frank said, “and this, too, is an area in which I am seeking improvements as we work on the Magnuson reauthorization legislation.  If it takes too long to develop regulations, they will inevitably be based on less current data, which will make it more difficult to manage and when necessary rebuild fish stocks.  In addition, as in this case, the delays can cause economic harm to fishermen.”

“One positive aspect of the new regulations is the new program for reimbursing fishermen for the cost of purchasing Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS),” Frank said.  “Given the financial burden this technology imposes on fishermen, if the government is going to require its use, it is reasonable to help them defray the costs of purchasing it.  I have been urging NOAA to take this action, and now that the program has been established, I am hopeful that all eligible fishermen will take advantage of it.”

Frank is a cosponsor of the principal House reauthorization bill (H.R. 5018), which calls for improvements in science, more flexibility in rebuilding of weakened fish stocks, and aims at reducing unnecessary delays in the development and implementation of fishery management plans.  The legislation is likely to be taken up by the full House of Representatives when Congress returns for a brief “lame-duck” session after the November elections.  The Senate has already passed a separate Magnuson bill.

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