The latest from Sen. Stevens (as in Magnuson-Stevens) on fishery management and law. Sounds pretty happy with MSA and his attention is on IUU-not the Pallone bill.
Protecting Alaska's fishing industry should be a national priority
TED STEVENS
April 18, 2008 at 12:18PM AKST
For Alaska Newspapers
Every year, the waters off the Alaska's coast produce nearly half of our domestic fishery. None of our stocks are overfished.
This important accomplishment is possible because the Alaska fishing industry continues to set the standard in the United States and in the world for sustainable and productive fisheries.
This approach, mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, works by imposing science-based catch limits to end overfishing. It is also effective because the United States has implemented strong fisheries enforcement regimes. Unless other major fishing nations adopt similar standards, high-seas global fish stocks will continue to decline.
It is vital that fishing nations worldwide address the global problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which is still common on the high seas. These fishing practices threaten to deplete valuable fish stocks on which we depend.
In January 2007, President Bush signed the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. That legislation contains important international fisheries compliance and monitoring provisions. Additionally, this past December, the president signed legislation I authored directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to maintain a list of IUU fishing vessels around the world.
This language assures that America's fishing industry can quickly and easily identify IUU "blacklisted" vessels, which is essential for helping our industry avoid doing business with them. The bill also allows the United States to take action against these rogue IUU vessels.
I am currently working with colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee to close gaps in U.S. law that still allow IUU fish products to enter our country. If America refuses to import IUU products, other fishing nations will also address this issue and embrace sustainable fisheries policies.
To effectively stop IUU fish products at the border, Congress must ensure that law enforcement officers for U.S. fisheries have every tool and resource available. The United States must improve coordination among law enforcement agencies to allow resource sharing in IUU investigations.
We should also clarify that it is illegal in the United States to knowingly trade in any fish or fish product caught in violation of a Regional Fishery Management Organization agreement or otherwise harvested from IUU fishing.
The United States has assumed a strong leadership role in promoting sustainable fisheries. But we can do more to help other countries ? particularly developing countries that have large ocean territories with valuable fish stocks yet limited ability to control harvests. NMFS and the Coast Guard have reached out to many of these countries, but we should step up our efforts to help them identify and stop IUU fishing. The Office of International Affairs in the National Marine Fisheries Service can lead this vital effort by facilitating the knowledge transfer and support necessary to improve its monitoring and enforcement capabilities.
We must also ensure that all areas of the ocean have effective fishing rules in place. Even today, there are large unregulated areas of the high seas, including the waters of the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans beyond Alaska?s Exclusive Economic Zone. My plan is to convince the State Department to pursue new international fisheries management agreements for these areas of the high seas.
Taken together, these actions will represent a comprehensive U.S. approach to address and combat destructive IUU fishing practices. I plan to further this effort by introducing legislation to assure the United States will accomplish these goals. Doing so will ensure the safety and security of Alaska?s healthy, sustainable fisheries now and into the future.
Sen. Ted Stevens is the senior member of Alaska?s congressional delegation and the longest-serving senator in the history of the Republican Party.
Protecting Alaska's fishing industry should be a national priority
TED STEVENS
April 18, 2008 at 12:18PM AKST
For Alaska Newspapers
Every year, the waters off the Alaska's coast produce nearly half of our domestic fishery. None of our stocks are overfished.
This important accomplishment is possible because the Alaska fishing industry continues to set the standard in the United States and in the world for sustainable and productive fisheries.
This approach, mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, works by imposing science-based catch limits to end overfishing. It is also effective because the United States has implemented strong fisheries enforcement regimes. Unless other major fishing nations adopt similar standards, high-seas global fish stocks will continue to decline.
It is vital that fishing nations worldwide address the global problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which is still common on the high seas. These fishing practices threaten to deplete valuable fish stocks on which we depend.
In January 2007, President Bush signed the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. That legislation contains important international fisheries compliance and monitoring provisions. Additionally, this past December, the president signed legislation I authored directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to maintain a list of IUU fishing vessels around the world.
This language assures that America's fishing industry can quickly and easily identify IUU "blacklisted" vessels, which is essential for helping our industry avoid doing business with them. The bill also allows the United States to take action against these rogue IUU vessels.
I am currently working with colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee to close gaps in U.S. law that still allow IUU fish products to enter our country. If America refuses to import IUU products, other fishing nations will also address this issue and embrace sustainable fisheries policies.
To effectively stop IUU fish products at the border, Congress must ensure that law enforcement officers for U.S. fisheries have every tool and resource available. The United States must improve coordination among law enforcement agencies to allow resource sharing in IUU investigations.
We should also clarify that it is illegal in the United States to knowingly trade in any fish or fish product caught in violation of a Regional Fishery Management Organization agreement or otherwise harvested from IUU fishing.
The United States has assumed a strong leadership role in promoting sustainable fisheries. But we can do more to help other countries ? particularly developing countries that have large ocean territories with valuable fish stocks yet limited ability to control harvests. NMFS and the Coast Guard have reached out to many of these countries, but we should step up our efforts to help them identify and stop IUU fishing. The Office of International Affairs in the National Marine Fisheries Service can lead this vital effort by facilitating the knowledge transfer and support necessary to improve its monitoring and enforcement capabilities.
We must also ensure that all areas of the ocean have effective fishing rules in place. Even today, there are large unregulated areas of the high seas, including the waters of the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans beyond Alaska?s Exclusive Economic Zone. My plan is to convince the State Department to pursue new international fisheries management agreements for these areas of the high seas.
Taken together, these actions will represent a comprehensive U.S. approach to address and combat destructive IUU fishing practices. I plan to further this effort by introducing legislation to assure the United States will accomplish these goals. Doing so will ensure the safety and security of Alaska?s healthy, sustainable fisheries now and into the future.
Sen. Ted Stevens is the senior member of Alaska?s congressional delegation and the longest-serving senator in the history of the Republican Party.
