Congress passes fisheries reform

WASHINGTON – Congress on Saturday passed the broadest overhaul of the rules that govern the U.S. fishing industry in a decade, with provisions instructing fishery managers to adhere strictly to scientific advice so as not to deplete the ocean.

The final language of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which passed the Senate on Thursday and the House early Saturday, was a compromise between environmentalists and fishing interests. The measure mandates an end to overfishing of depleted species within 2 1/2 years and allows the selling and trading of shares in a fishery to promote conservation.

“This clearly acknowledges the problems we face and reflects a realization by lawmakers that we can’t continue to postpone dealing with overfishing and the destruction of marine habitat,” said Josh Reichert, head of the Pew Charitable Trust’s environmental program.

Commercial fishing interests, Bush administration officials and GOP lawmakers also praised the legislation.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who led efforts to update the law that bears his name, said lawmakers had heeded a call by President Bush to end overfishing. Bush, in a speech this fall, urged Congress to reauthorize the fishing law and called overfishing harmful to the United States and the world.

“This legislation is important to sustaining and conserving our nation’s fisheries for generations to come,” Stevens said.

Jim Gilmore, spokesman of the At-Sea Processors Association, said the bill “has important conservation measures for promoting sustainable fisheries nationwide. For us it’s a great thing to have catch limits in every fishery.” The organization represents Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting fishermen who land 20 percent of the U.S. catch.

At the insistence of West Coast lawmakers, the bill includes language to speed recovery of Klamath River salmon stocks in California and Oregon. For fishermen adversely affected by recent closures aimed at protecting threatened fish, there would be disaster relief programs.

Lawmakers cut some deals to pass the measure, including language that will extend a 10-year rebuilding plan for summer flounder in the Northeast to 13 years, allowing recreational and commercial fishermen to catch more flounder.

“This is a big help,” said Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., whose state boasts a major flounder fishery.

While much of the bill focuses on tightening the 30-year-old fisheries law, it also endorses for the first time creation of “limited access privilege programs” allowing groups or individuals to trade shares of a fishery’s overall catch.

“It’s a groundbreaking piece of legislation that gives an unambiguous green light for a cap-and-trade program for fish,” said David Festa, who directs the oceans program for the advocacy group Environmental Defense.

Bush, who vowed earlier this year to end overfishing before leaving office, is prepared to sign the bill into law.