Atlantic Marine Monument Archives - Page 5 of 6

Fishing commission chair wants caution on Atlantic monuments

PORTLAND, Maine — The chairman of an influential fishing oversight board is urging President Barack Obama to seek more public input before making a ruling on a request for a national monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

Environmental advocates have asked the federal government to create such a monument in the Atlantic off New England.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Chairman Douglas Grout says the proposal needs a hard look before approval.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Washington Times

NPR Rhode Island: Interstate Fisheries Group Opposes Marine National Monument Proposal

May 13, 2016 — More than 160,000 people have signed a petition asking President Obama to declare a marine national monument in New England waters. It’s an effort spearheaded by a coalition of environmental groups and scientists. But the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is asking the president to reject this proposal.

“Under the Antiquities Act, the president can act without any public comment, any public input. I think that’s the big issue right now,” said Mark Gibson, chief of the fisheries division at the state Department of Environmental Management. He represents Rhode Island in fisheries groups. He said the New England Fisheries Management Council is already working to protect important habitats for corals, using the nation’s primary fishing law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

“So it will take some time,” said Gibson. “We are going through the full process of committee recommendations for areas that need to be protected, and the council will have to consider those, move them to public hearings, move them to the next council meeting, so it’s a long process that goes on.”

It’s a long process, but it works, adds David Borden, a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and a lobsterman. He said this proposal is missing the comprehensive review that happens among regulators, fishermen and environmental advocates.

“I think it’s important for the public to realize that there is no formal proposal that’s available for either the fishing industry or the public to look at and so we’ve requested that the public be afforded that opportunity,” said Borden.

Read and listen to the full story at Rhode Island Public Radio

Fishing Group Opposes A Marine Preserve

May 13, 2016 — The Long Island Commercial Fishing Association has joined the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in the latter group’s motion to oppose the designation of an offshore marine monument in the Northeast Atlantic, which environmental groups support.

Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, released a statement on Friday in support of the fishery commission’s resolution. The resolution “allows for the protection of deep-sea corals, while at the same time protecting commercial fishing jobs,” she said. “It prevents the further contraction of our fisheries as we try to reclaim domestic markets from the onslaught of imported fish and shrimp, which too often is harvested by forced and involuntary laborers working in inhumane conditions.”

Read the full story at the East Hampton Star

ASMFC Urges Transparency and Public Input in Proposed New England Offshore Canyons & Seamounts Monument Decision Making Process

May 12, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

ARLINGTON, Va. — In a May 9^th letter to President Barack Obama, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) urged the President and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for transparency and a robust opportunity for public input as the Administration considers designating a National Monument through its authority under the Antiquities Act. While details on the specific location of the monument remain unknown, one potential area discussed centers around the New England offshore canyons and seamounts.

Currently, the New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is drafting an Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment which considers protection of corals in and around the canyons of the Atlantic Ocean. At the request of the Council, the Commission conducted a survey of active offshore lobstermen to understand the potential impacts to the fishery should lobster traps be limited by the Draft Amendment. Preliminary results indicate a high dependence on the offshore canyons for revenue, with over $15 million in revenue generated each year by fishermen targeting American lobster and Jonah crab in the canyons. Given that input from concerned stakeholders is a key component of the Council’s decision-making process, the Commission strongly supports using the Council process to develop measures to protect the ecosystems within these deep waters.

If the President chooses to use the Antiquities Act to protect deep sea corals, the Commission requested the designated area be limited to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected. Additionally, the Commission requested the area be limited to depths greater than approximately 900 meters and encompass any or all of the region seaward of this line out to the outer limit of the exclusive economic zone. Further, the Commission asked that only bottom tending fishing effort be prohibited in the area and all other mid water/surface fishing methods (recreational and commercial) be allowed to continue in the area.

Read this release and the ASMFC letter to the White House as a PDF

Scallopers to White House: Marine monument a bad idea

May 6, 2016 — A fishing trade group that represents scallopers from Maine to Virginia has joined Northeast groundfishermen in opposing the designation of any marine national monuments in New England waters.

The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) penned a May 4 letter to Obama administration officials stating its opposition to the establishment of the monuments while also criticizing the unilateral process — presidential decree through the Antiquities Act — being considered for designating them.

“A monument designation, with its unilateral implementation and opaque process, is the exact opposite of the fisheries management process in which we participate,” FSF legal counsels David Frulla and Andrew Minkiewicz wrote to Christy Goldfuss and Whitley Saumwebber, executives in the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Public areas and public resources should be managed in an open and transparent manner, not an imperial stroke of the pen.”

The FSF letter comes almost two months after Goldfuss, the managing director of the White House environmental council, told fishing stakeholders at a March 24 meeting in Boston the White House has shelved the proposal pushed by environmental and conservation groups to establish a marine national monument about 80 miles east of Cape Ann in the area around Cashes Ledge.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Eric Hansen: Atlantic marine monument would harm fisheries

May 6, 2016 — With President Obama leaving office in less than a year, environmental groups have urged him to once again use executive authority via the Antiquities Act to declare a new marine national monument, this time in the Atlantic Ocean. Such a proposal, which circumvents all established rules and procedures, is fundamentally undemocratic, and would put a stranglehold on the commercial fishing industry.

A presidential declaration of a new national marine monument would result in potentially thousands of acres of prime fishing ground being closed off to fishermen. This would lead directly to increased costs for seafood processors, restaurants, and yes, seafood consumers. All of this will be done through a process that solicited little public input or stakeholder engagement and disregards the current, successful management process.

Such a declaration would also go against rules set out by President Obama himself. Specifically, Executive Order 13563 details the manner in which new regulations should be created and implemented. In that document, the guidelines were very clear: Regulations should not hinder the economy, should be implemented following public engagement and participation, should be based on best available science, and should be flexible.

Read the full opinion piece at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Statement from the Garden State Seafood Association on ASMFC Marine Monument Policy

May 6, 2016 — The following statement was released by Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director of the Garden State Seafood Association, following the passage of the ASMFC motion calling for the president not to declare a marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean:

“The Antiquities Act was perhaps a necessary tool to protect sensitive areas in 1906, but with our increased technological capabilities, knowledge, and an all-encompassing regulatory system, it is an unnecessary and blunt tool for 2016.

The Magnuson–Stevens Act specifically allows for any fishery management plan under the authority of any Council to protect deep-sea corals and other habitat features from physical damage from fishing gear.

It is time that the years of on-the-water experience possessed by the commercial fishing industry be acknowledged, especially in the context of this issue. The intellectual power of the regional Councils, in conjunction with the fishing industry, will result in the most meaningful protections of deep-water corals and habitat while allowing for traditional fishing activity to continue.”

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The Garden State Seafood Association is dedicated to sincere and effective representation in order to protect the interests of New Jersey fishermen and New Jersey’s fisheries dependent businesses.

Statement from the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association on ASMFC Marine Monument Policy

May 6, 2016 — The following statement was released by Bonnie Brady, Executive Director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, following the passage of the ASMFC motion calling for the president not to declare a marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean:

“The Long Island Commercial Fishing Association fully supports the motion approved by the ASMFC. The plan is a win for all. It allows for the protection of deep-sea corals, while at the at the same time protects commercial fishing jobs. It prevents the further contraction of our fisheries as we try to reclaim domestic markets from the onslaught of imported fish and shrimp, which too often is harvested by forced and involuntary laborers working in inhumane conditions.”

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The Long Island Commercial Fishing Association works to promote and educate the public about commercial fishing on Long Island.

Fishing panel urges Obama to forgo Atlantic sea monument

May 5, 2016 — A key interstate fishing commission is calling on the White House to shoot down or dramatically limit a proposal for a national monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

Environmentalists want President Barack Obama to protect the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts, a chain of undersea formations about 150 miles off Massachusetts.

A policy board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says Wednesday that it’s taking a position against the proposal. The commission manages fisheries in East Coast states.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald

Atlantic Sea Scallop group opposes an Atlantic Marine Monument; says it contradicts the President’s own order

WASHINGTON – May 4, 2016 – The organization representing the Atlantic sea scallop industry, one of the most economically valuable fisheries in the nation, has written to the White House opposing the creation of an Atlantic Marine Monument, noting that such an action subverts public processes, and contradicts the President’s own executive order on public participation in the regulatory process.

The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), an organization that comprises the majority of the Limited Access Atlantic sea scallop fleet, is one of the many stakeholders that frequently participates in the public fisheries management process. FSF opposes any attempts to circumvent this process, as noted in the letter.

“We strongly urge the President to not designate any marine monuments in New England, but rather to allow the public process to continue moving forward,” states the letter, which was sent to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Let the President’s legacy be that he allowed the public to have a voice in how we manage our shared resources.”

The White House has been considering designating an offshore monument in the Northeast Atlantic at the behest of several environmental groups, an authority granted by the Antiquities Act. President Bush previously used this authority to create two expansive monuments in the Pacific Ocean around Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands.

As argued in the letter, “Public areas and public resources should be managed in an open and transparent manner, not an imperial stroke of the pen.” In fact, several regulations have already been developed through the Council process that ensure fisheries are properly conserving and managing marine resources.

FSF’s position mirrors that of Executive Order 13563, authored by President Obama himself, which states in part that regulations must be based on the best available science, involve public participation, and include greater coordination across agencies. The current management system is more consistent with these standards than a monument designation, which could be abused by a few select insiders. Through regional councils, the government is already protecting Cashes Ledge and deep-water corals.

If the Administration insists on the designation of a monument, the President should accept recommendations made by members of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Rhode Island Delegation, in consultation with other regional fisheries organizations, and approved unanimously by the ASMFC. Their proposal would ensure the protection of deep-water corals and ocean canyon substrates while allowing for fishing that would not affect the protected areas.

Read the full FSF letter to the White House here