FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kathleen Goldstein, Environmental Defense, 202-841-0295

Changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act Considered

Senate Worked With Environmental Defense, Fishermen and Community
Leaders

(December 15, 2005 - Washington, DC) Today, the Senate considered
changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
(MSA), which governs all fishery management activities within the
federal 200-mile limit through eight Regional Fishery Management
Councils. The bill contains several important conservation reforms,
including limited access privilege programs (LAPPs), key management
tools that can make our fisheries more sustainable and profitable.
Although the original legislation introduced last month contained
provisions that hampered the LAPP process and limited their
effectiveness, Environmental Defense successfully joined with fishermen
and community leaders to amend these provisions, and new language was
included in the bill today.

"The Commerce Committee's action takes the country a step closer to a
new era for ocean stewardship in which conservation can make good
business sense for fishermen," said Environmental Defense Oceans
Program Director David Festa. "This will lead to economically viable
fishing communities, better recreational opportunities and supplies of
fresh seafood. Environmental Defense commends the Senate for working
actively with fishermen and the conservation community to craft a
workable solution."

LAPPs - catch shares - have proven to be environmentally and
economically effective in New Zealand, British Columbia and Alaska.
Under this system, fishermen are allocated shares of the annual catch,
which they can buy and sell with other fishermen. Unlike government
mandates limiting fishermen's flexibility, catch shares allow fishermen
to work year-round when market and weather conditions are most
advantageous. Catch shares help fishermen cut costs, improve the
quality of their fish, maximize dockside prices and prevent the waste
of millions of fish each year that must be discarded. Just as shares
of a company become more valuable if the company is well-managed,
fishermen's shares gain value when fish populations increase through a
well managed fishery. The fishermen now have a financial interest in
conservation measures that protect the ocean.

At the same time, the bill includes important design features that
affect whether a system of catch shares will be fair, equitable and
promote good stewardship of our nation's fisheries. These features
include methods for determining who gets initial allocations of catch
shares, how shares can be traded and the nature of conservation and
other safeguards.

"The recent U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy recommended catch shares as
a key management tool. And, in September, the Administration
explicitly called for doubling the existing number of these programs,"
said Environmental Defense Oceans Program Deputy Director Johanna
Thomas. "Clearly there is broad political support for these programs."

There is stakeholder support as well. Environmental Defense is working
with several fishing groups in New England to support their efforts to
develop fishing cooperatives, working in California to promote working
waterfronts and in the Pacific to develop a quota system for
groundfish. We are also working closely with fishermen, government
officials and other partners in the Gulf of Mexico to design fishing
quota systems for red snapper and reef fish, shrimp and other key
fisheries. Gulf snapper fisherman Captain Donald Waters acknowledges
that "we need quota programs to save the fish and our livelihoods,
which are jeopardized by overfishing caused by out-of-date
regulations." Recent hurricanes have only highlighted the need for
better fisheries management to improve the Gulf's struggling fisheries.

Fishermen in these fisheries strongly support catch share programs, but
in its original form, the Senate bill placed unnecessary obstacles to
establishing these programs by creating onerous, bureaucratic hurdles.
The earlier bill called for a 50% vote by permit holders to discuss
enacting a catch share program, and an additional 2/3 majority vote of
permit holders in New England and the Gulf of Mexico before finalizing
a plan.

Environmental Defense quickly coordinated a strong response by
community leaders and fishermen to reach an agreement with the Senate
Commerce Committee on how to move forward with these innovative tools.
The committee passed an amended bill today that allows for flexibility
in starting catch share programs, allowing catch share programs to be
launched through the council process or by a majority petition by the
fishermen in the fishery. For New England and Gulf fisheries, the
final referendum will apply only to individual fishing quota programs
and still require a super majority vote.

With the approval of the Senate bill by the Commerce Committee, the
bill will head to the Senate floor next year. The House has yet to
offer a bill.

"Catch shares are one of the only management tools that benefit both
fish and fishermen. They expand the economic benefits of the
fisheries, preserve maritime heritage and protect the environment,"
said Environmental Defense Ocean Policy Specialist Amanda Leland.
"When the Senate votes on this early next year, it is an opportunity
for Congress to do the right thing by making sure these key management
tools can be put to work."

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