Clean Water News

As the new home of OSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Oregon can be contacted regarding this news release.

Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV), ranking member of the U.S. House Resources Committee, was joined by 6 bipartisan cosponsors today in introducing legislation that will enhance fisheries science and management in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine fish and ocean ecosystems.

The Fisheries Science and Management Enhancement Act of 2005 embodies many of the recommendations issued last fall by the presidentially appointed U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP). Key provisions of the bill will:

- Address the issue of Fishery Management Councils or FMCs (the bodies in charge of managing regional fisheries) downplaying the best available scientific information in their management decisions by mandating Council adherence to sustainable catch level recommendations made by scientists.

- Address the exemption from financial conflicts of interest that is unique to FMCs by not allowing Council members to vote on issues in which they have a financial interest.

- Broaden the membership of the regional councils to provide equal representation between commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen and members of the public knowledgeable in marine fisheries. The current makeup of appointed Council members is such that eighty to ninety percent of the Councils represent fishing interests.

- Establish a cooperative research program with collaboration between fishermen and researchers in order to more fully understand fishing's impacts on marine resources and wildlife.

"This bill is the chance our oceans and fisheries need," said Jeremy Wright, Environmental Advocate. "The President's own experts have recognized that our oceans are in trouble and Congressman Rahall's bold legislation is a great first step toward addressing many of the problems currently inherent in how we manage our incredibly valuable marine ecosystems."

The Rahall legislation amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the law that governs federally managed ocean fish. The bill seeks to use science to better inform fishery management decisions, broaden participation on the fishery management councils to include the public interest, to significantly reduce financial conflicts of interest of those on the councils, and to increase cooperative research to increase our knowledge of oceans and their wildlife.

"This is a much-needed first step to protect and conserve our precious oceans," said Wright. "It's great to see bipartisan recognition of the importance of our oceans and the need to protect them from further damage. We thank Congressman Rahall and his colleagues for their vision and their courage in moving forward to save our blue planet and look forward to the strong support of this bill by the Oregon Congressional delegation."

Oregon State Public Interest Research Group is a non profit, non partisan public interest advocacy organization with 28,000 citizen members.