WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, and U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) today urged the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to fund a National Research Council study of the 10-year timeline for rebuilding overfished fish stocks, as mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).
In a letter to NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the lawmakers called for an independent study to determine the economic and ecological costs and benefits as well as the scientific underpinnings of the mandate to rebuild all overfished fish stocks within 10 years. The study would also address the feasibility of rebuilding all fish stocks simultaneously, the impact of non-fishing related factors such as climate change and coastal development and pollution on fish stock recovery, and would probe whether current investment in fisheries science is sufficient to meet the National Standards established in the MSA.
“Fisheries are an economic engine for our coastal communities, and the Magnuson-Stevens Act includes a commitment to achieve optimum yield from our fisheries while minimizing adverse economic impact. Congressman Frank and I are asking NOAA to fund this study to determine whether the 10-year rebuilding timeline best meets these mandates,” said Senator Snowe. “We all share the goal of managing our fisheries sustainably to benefit both the fishermen of today and for future generations. This study would provide a truly independent assessment of the economic and ecological costs and benefits of the current system and ultimately suggest ways to enhance fishery management.”
“I am pleased to join Senator Snowe in calling for NOAA to fund a study by the National Academy of Science’s National Research Council to provide an independent assessment of the 10-year rebuilding timeline, focusing on its ecological and economic costs and benefits,” said Frank. “The rigid and arbitrary 10 year rebuilding timeline was one of my major objections to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and I believe the time has come for it to be reevaluated.”