Saving Seafood

Rubio’s Florida Fisheries Improvement Act Gets Widespread Support From Different Sectors

August 9, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson are receiving widespread support on the Florida Fisheries Improvement Act, which was introduced last week.

Rubio had initially introduced the bill in 2014 to “begin outlining Florida’s priorities for the eventual reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act,” which was first passed in 1976. The Magnuson-Stevens Act was created to “prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, increase long-term economic and social benefits, and ensure a safe and sustainable supply of seafood.” The senator reintroduced the Florida Fisheries Improvement Act in 2015.

“Fishing remains an integral part of Florida’s history, economy and allure for residents and visitors alike,” Rubio said in a statement. “This bipartisan bill reflects the best ideas from Florida’s commercial, charter and recreational fishing communities, and would ensure federal laws reflect the realities of our unique Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic regions while continuing to promote research and conservation efforts. As Congress works towards a reauthorization of Magnuson-Stevens, I remain committed to ensuring Florida’s fisheries are well represented.”

The latest version of the bill would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Act to “enhance, protect and sustain Florida’s fishery resources and the communities that rely on them.” Specifically, the legislation would force the U.S. secretary of commerce to make “fishery disaster designations within 90 days of receiving information from the state.” The bill would also “resolve inconsistencies between the Capital Construction Fund and Fisheries Finance Program,” among other things.

The bill is being supported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the American Sportfishing Association, the Southeastern Fisheries Association, the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholder’s Alliance, the Florida Keys Commercial Fisherman’s Association, Wild Ocean Seafood Market and the Billfish Foundation.

“We must be sure to address a suite of issues in the next MSA reauthorization and the Florida Fisheries Improvement Act is a helpful first step,” said Southeastern Fisheries Association executive director Robert Jones. “We look forward to working with Senator Rubio and his staff to provide balanced management in mixed-use fisheries and to resist changes in the law that might reduce commercial fishing access which is an important part of the food supply to Floridians and citizens all across this great country.”

Eric Brazer Jr., deputy director of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, shared similar sentiments about the bill.

“The Florida Fisheries Improvement Act proposes a number of welcome improvements that will ensure a well balanced and more transparent Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, improvements to the stock assessment process, and more timely critical relief in response to fishery disasters,” said Brazer. “We look forward to working with the Senator to address some of the challenges we see that could trigger unintended consequences in our nation’s successful core system of annual catch limits and mandate perpetual and disruptive allocation debates in the region.”

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Senator Rubio Presses Federal Government For Better Fisheries Data Collection

December 14, 2015 — The following was released by the Office of Senator Marco Rubio:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, today sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Pritzker in response to the recently released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Fisheries Data Collection. The report is the product of a 2013 bipartisan congressional request asking the GAO to study the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) marine recreational fisheries data collection program. The report concluded that NMFS lacks a comprehensive strategy and recommends that the agency develop such a plan with programmatic goals and time frames, and clearly communicate that information to stakeholders. In the letter, Rubio urges the secretary to fully support implementation of the GAO’s recommendations. 

“NMFS must work diligently to rebuild trust with key stakeholders for more effective management of our nation’s fisheries,” Rubio wrote. “The importance of having these stakeholders as data collection partners cannot be overstated. Our fisheries support millions of jobs and are economically vital to coastal communities throughout the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic.  However, without effective and trustworthy data collection, these benefits will not be realized. A transparent, structured plan with established time frames is essential for a successful data program.”

Background: As Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, Rubio has detailed the need for improved quality and timeliness of data collection to ensure sound fisheries management. On May 20, 2015, he reintroduced the Florida Fisheries Improvement Act, which was reported out of the Senate’s commerce committee on June 25, 2015. If enacted, S. 1403 would:

  • Repeal separate catch quotas for the recreational and commercial red snapper fisheries;
  • Require both the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to review the allocation of fishing privileges;
  • Increase public involvement in the scientific and statistical processes that inform fishery management;
  • Allow fishery facilities to make use of capital construction funds;
  • Allow for more than 10 years of rebuilding for fish stocks managed under an international agreement;
  • Require a plan to conduct stock assessments for all stocks currently managed;
  • Require a report on better use of fisheries data; and
  • Speed up the timeline for fishery disaster declaration.

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Secretary Pritzker:

As the Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, I write to encourage you to direct the National Marine Fisheries Service to quickly implement the Government Accountability Office’s recent recommendations, as outlined in the report, “GAO-16-131, Recreational Fisheries Management: The National Marine Fisheries Service Should Develop a Comprehensive Strategy to Guide its Data Collection Efforts.” 

The report stems from a 2013 bipartisan congressional request to examine current data collection practices used in determining stock assessments. Although the GAO report notes that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has taken steps to improve data collection for recreational fisheries, the report also states, “NMFS does not have a comprehensive strategy to guide the implementation of its various efforts… Moreover, without clearly communicating the strategy to its stakeholders, NMFS may find it difficult to build trust, potentially limiting its ability to effectively implement MRIP improvement initiatives that rely on data collection partners.”

As noted above, NMFS must work diligently to rebuild trust with key stakeholders for more effective management of our nation’s fisheries. The importance of having these stakeholders as data collection partners cannot be overstated. Our fisheries support millions of jobs and are economically vital to coastal communities throughout the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic.  However, without effective and trustworthy data collection, these benefits will not be realized.  A transparent, structured plan with established time frames is essential for a successful data program.

As NMFS acknowledges the need to develop this important strategy, I urge you to use the necessary resources within the Department and NMFS to implement the recommended data collection efforts as soon as possible.

Respectfully,

Marco Rubio

U.S. Senator