Federal Legislation
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (MSA) is the
primary law governing marine fisheries management in United States federal
waters. The Act was first enacted in 1976, amended in 1996, and reauthorized
in 2006. Most notably, the Magnuson-Stevens Act aided in the development
of the domestic fishing industry by phasing out foreign fishing. To manage
the fisheries and promote conservation, the Act created eight regional
fishery management councils. The 1996 amendments focused rebuilding overfished
fisheries, protecting essential fish habitat, and reducing bycatch. The
1996 amendments also included authorization of $2 million towards fishermen's
healthcare in New England that laid the foundation for the creation of
the
Fishing Partnership Health Plan.
Key Issues
There are two dominating areas where change is essential to
promote a badly needed shift in paradigm towards more successful management
of fisheries and oceans:
- The goal of fisheries management must
be made consistent with the scientific reality of natural ocean ecosystems.
The current goal in the Magnuson Stevens Act of achieving Maximum Sustainable
Yield (MSY) in every fish stock at the same time is impossible to reach
because nature is more fluid and dynamic. This goal needs to be replaced
in the Magnuson Stevens Act with a holistic concept that is consistent with
the natural biology of fisheries ecosystems.
- Collaboration among
scientists and fishermen is the only way to develop an adequate scientific
understanding upon which to build a system of managing ecosystems. The
kind of collegial collaboration that is needed requires a change in the
cultural perspective and the way we organize our research institutions
and educational programs to train future scientists and fishermen. Fishermen
and scientists need to learn new skills to collaborate successfully, and
managers need to insist on scientific research methods that are based
on sound collaborative and collegial practices. Integrating fishermen
and fishing vessels into the ocean observing system will also be the most
cost effective way to collect the richest data to support ecosystem research
and management.
While there are many details to reforming fisheries management
and promoting holistic management of ocean ecosystems, these two issues
are fundamental to real progress. First must come investment in collaborative
research among fishermen and scientists across the nation. The FISHER
Institute has been established to promote this goal.
Details on the MFP’s perspective to integrate
fisheries and fishing observations into comprehensive ocean management is
described in our letters and testimony to the Massachusetts Legislature
concerning development of first-in-the-nation legislation to create a comprehensive
ocean management system in Massachusetts state waters. See State
Legislation.
MFP Testimony on the Magnuson Stevens Act
April 25, 2006 – Testimony
Before the Committee on Resources United States House of Representatives
Hearing on the Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act
May 02, 2002
- Testimony of the MFP on the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act before the House subcommittee
April 10, 2000 - The MFP
presented a 26-point consensus testimony to a U.S. Senate hearing on the
Magnuson-Stevens Act
|
