July 20, 2012 – The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee is pushing to finish a partial rewrite of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act before the August recess, the committee press secretary says.
Both houses of Congress are scheduled to stop work Aug. 6, and do not return for more than a month. Committee Press Secretary Crystal Feldman, however, said this week the goal was to have a bill that synthesizes reforms sought by several fishing industry advocates ready for the committee by that date.
If the deadline is met, the committee would have 30 working days, according to the House calendar, to approve the bill and send it to the full House before the end of the session.
The push in the Republican-controlled House would, at best, leave a marker for the 113th Congress that convenes in January after the national election. The Senate Commerce, Science and Justice Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing on a number of Magnuson reform bills.
Over the past two years, various approaches for helping both the recreational and commercial sides of the industry have gradually merged into a movement dedicated to seeing adjustments made in the Magnuson Act, the original and overriding fisheries management statute that directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ensure sustainable stocks while maximizing fishermen’s output.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Times.