[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 85 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 85
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act on April 13, 2026, and recognizing its
significant impact on the sustainable and profitable management of the
Nation's fishery resources.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 16, 2026
Mr. Huffman (for himself, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, and Mr. Keating)
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act on April 13, 2026, and recognizing its
significant impact on the sustainable and profitable management of the
Nation's fishery resources.
Whereas abundant marine fish stocks and their habitats are important to the
economy and food supply of the Nation, and also provide Americans with
the opportunity to take part in recreation and fishing traditions that
are central to the Nation's history and culture, including--
(1) contributing $319,000,000,000 in sales impacts and supporting
2,100,000 jobs;
(2) supporting a United States per capita consumption of healthy,
affordable seafood products of 19.1 pounds;
(3) providing for 204,000,000 saltwater fishing trips and an estimated
recreational catch of 1,100,000,000 fish; and
(4) sustaining Indigenous and Tribal practices and providing critical
food security;
Whereas Indigenous communities and Tribes have stewarded fishery resources since
time immemorial;
Whereas the Fishery Conservation and Management Act, later renamed the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et
seq.), has been the primary law governing marine fisheries in United
States Federal waters since its original passage in 1976;
Whereas, prior to its enactment, unregulated foreign fleets decimated local fish
populations and overfishing posed a threat to American fishing
communities' liberty and livelihoods;
Whereas the MSA extended Federal control over fishery resources to 200 nautical
miles offshore, evicting unregulated foreign fleets from United States
waters and prioritizing American fishermen's right to access the
Nation's fishery resources;
Whereas the MSA established a national program for conservation and management
of United States fishery resources, ushering in a new era of long-term
sustainability through a science-based, transparent process of
management, innovation, and collaboration;
Whereas the MSA works to ensure that fishermen and industry members are partners
in the democratic decision making that affects their business,
livelihoods, and communities;
Whereas the MSA established 8 regional fishery management councils composed of
fishermen, State managers, seafood processors, conservationists,
scientists, Indigenous and Tribal members, and other experts that
prepare and monitor management plans to steward their local fishery
resources in the Nation's best interests;
Whereas the MSA increases the long-term economic and social benefits from
fisheries by--
(1) preventing overfishing;
(2) rebuilding stocks;
(3) ensuring a safe and sustainable supply of seafood; and
(4) protecting habitat that fish need to spawn, breed, feed, and grow
to maturity;
Whereas the management actions implemented under the MSA have helped to rebuild
52 fish stocks, limited overfishing to 4 percent of managed stocks in
2025, and reduced bycatch for many stocks; and
Whereas bipartisan reauthorizations of the MSA have improved the future outlook
for this critical natural resource and American fishing communities by--
(1) strengthening requirements to prevent overfishing and rebuild
stocks through annual catch limits and accountability measures;
(2) establishing national standards to address safety at sea, practices
to support democratic participation, and bycatch minimization;
(3) promoting market-based management strategies;
(4) highlighting the role of science in management; and
(5) enhancing international cooperation to address illegal,
unregulated, and unreported fishing: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA)
(16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and its enduring influence on vibrant
coastal economies and healthy marine ecosystems;
(2) celebrates the people who commit and risk their lives
to provide seafood and nutrition to the Nation;
(3) commends the State and Federal resource managers,
fishermen, industry representatives, Indigenous and Tribal
members, scientists, conservationists, and other experts who
uphold the principles of the MSA and work collaboratively to
steward fishery resources in the Nation's best interests; and
(4) reaffirms its commitment to a strong science-based MSA
to maintain healthy and profitable fisheries and to provide a
foundation to address modern challenges, such as persistent
overfishing, changing ocean and ecosystem conditions, fishery
disasters, and illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing
practices by foreign fleets that are affecting fishing
communities and the productivity of fisheries in the United
States.
<all>