A bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., seeks to ensure that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Fisheries Service is required to set catch limits based on several factors supported by a group of industry associations.
The bipartisan legislation, known as the Fishery Science Improvement Act, is endorsed by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, as well as a broad coalition of conservation, sportfishing and marine industry groups, including the American Sportfishing Association, the International Game Fish Association and the Coastal Conservation Association.
The major points of the bill are:
• If the agency has not done a stock assessment on a particular stock in the last five years and there is no indication that overfishing is occurring, an annual catch limit on that stock is not required.
• The bill would give NOAA Fisheries three years to work with the regional councils to figure out how to implement science-based measures that are appropriate for each region and its fisheries.
• To avoid removing fish species from management entirely because of a lack of data, NOAA Fisheries is currently designating a limited number of such stocks as “ecosystem components,” allowing the continued federal management of the stock without the requirement to implement an annual catch limit or accountability measure. The bill codifies the agency’s designation and expands the universe of stocks protected in this category.
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