WASHINGTON, D.C.,
May 29, 2014 -
Reporting H.R. 4742 Out of Committee (Passed 24-17. View Roll Call Vote)
This legislation would renew, strengthen, and improve the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management act with common sense reforms that increase management flexibility based on science, ensure greater government transparency, promote responsible fishing and prevent overfishing, improve fish data collection, and provide predictability and certainty for American jobs and local communities whose economic livelihoods depend on fishing.
Byrne of Alabama Amendment 005 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would require additional sources of information to be used in stock assessments for the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery and would transfer authority for conducting the stock assessment to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Young of Alaska Amendment .097 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would define the term “subsistence fishing” and would require that Governors consider nominees with subsistence fisheries experience when nominating individuals to serve on local fisheries management councils. The amendment would also require that the Governor of Alaska consult with subsistence fishing interests prior to nominating individuals for the North Pacific Council.
Southerland of Florida Amendment 019 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would authorize NOAA to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to fund stock assessments that become necessary as a result actions by BOEM that adversely affect red snapper. When the federal government authorizes the removal of abandoned oil rigs, thousands of red snapper are killed by this process and the number of rig removals has increased in recent years.
Southerland of Florida Amendment 022 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would require the Secretary of Commerce to declare a fishery disaster declaration within 90 days of receiving an estimate of the economic impact of the disaster.
Southerland of Florida Amendment 029 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment addresses the thousands of red snapper that are killed in the rig removal process hurting residents along the Gulf Coast who depend on red snapper fishing for their livelihoods by prohibiting the Secretary of Commerce from counting the fish killed by the rig removal process against the annual catch limits of red snapper on fishermen. This amendment would ensure that commercial and recreational fishermen will not be penalized for red snapper killed by the federal government through the removal of rigs when the Councils sets the annual catch limits.
Southerland of Florida Amendment 030 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would prohibit the Secretary of Commerce from counting illegally caught fish that are confiscated by law enforcement against the total allowable catch limits on American fishermen.
Runyan of New Jersey Amendment 037 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would require the Secretary of Commerce to publish the estimated cost of recover from a fisheries resources disaster no later than 30 days from declaring the disaster. This amendment would fix a problem that occurred immediately after Hurricane Sandy devastated fishing communities up and down the coast of New Jersey.
Pallone of New Jersey Amendment 039 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would ensure that local fishery management councils are collecting the best information possible about recreational fishing by establishing partnerships with states and a National Research Council study of recreational data collection programs.
Southerland of Florida Amendment 036 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would prohibit fish allocated to the commercial sector in the Gulf of Mexico from being sold, traded, or leased by owners of commercial catch shares to individuals or organizations outside of that sector. This will ensure that fish allocated for eventual consumption by consumers will not be reallocated for other purposes.
DeFazio of Oregon Amendment 001 (Failed by Voice Vote)
This amendment would require the Secretary to publish proposed rules - to implement provisions to streamline and clarify the conflicting and duplicative requirements of NEPA and the Magnuson-Stevens Act - that the Secretary was already required to propose by the 2006 amendments. The amendment would reduce authorizations for NOAA if fails to comply within 90 days.
Holt of New Jersey Amendment 007 (Failed 18-20. View Roll Call Vote)
The underlying bill would put in statute the current practice of NOAA with regard to the Councils setting annual catch limits for certain non-target species. The Holt amendment would have removed this authority.
Bordallo of Guam Amendment 004 (Approved by Voice Vote)
The underlying bill would prohibit the Secretary from providing information from a fishery (that was collected for fishery management purposes) for use in coastal and marine spatial planning under the National Ocean Policy unless the Secretary had received written permission from the vessel owner. This amendment would allow the Secretary to provide such information only to ensure fishermen continued access to fishing grounds or to enhance national security.
Sablan of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Amendment 002 (Failed by Voice Vote)
This amendment would undermine the intent of the underlying legislation which is to increase rebuilding flexibility in the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Tsongas of Massachusetts Amendment 003 (Failed by Voice Vote)
This amendment would undermine the intent of the underlying legislation which is to increase flexibility in the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Lowenthal of California Amendment 005 (Failed 18-23. View Roll Call Vote)
This amendment would undercut the provisions in the underlying legislation and the Act that require regional councils to manage fisheries throughout their range and would replace fisheries management in National Marine Sanctuaries and Monuments with management dictated by the National Ocean Council in Washington, D.C. The amendment would also strike a provision in the underlying bill which would allow Councils to develop - through the existing public process – any restrictions on fisheries that might be required by the Endangered Species Act.
Garcia of Florida Amendment 041 (Approved by Voice Vote)
This amendment would allow regional fishery management councils additional flexibility when developing annual catch limits under a rebuilding plan for transboundary species by allowing the Councils to take into consideration impacts of activities by other countries that may affect fish caught by U.S. fishermen.
* For complete legislative action for the May 29, 2014 Full Committee Markup, click here.
