Congressional Record, Volume 141 Issue 76 (Tuesday, May 9, 1995)

[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 9, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H4558-H4559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

STRIPED BASS CONSERVATION ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1995

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1139) to amend the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act,
and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 1139

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Striped Bass Conservation
Act Amendments of 1995''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION.

Section 7(a) of the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act
(16 U.S.C. 1851 note) is amended by striking ``For each of
fiscal years 1986,'' and all that follows through ``1994,''
and inserting ''For each of fiscal years 1995 and 1996,''.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

(a) Commission Monitoring of Implementation of Interstate
Plan.--Section 4(a)(1) of the Atlantic Striped Bass
Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 1851 note) is amended in the
material preceding subparagraph (A) by striking ``of fiscal
year 1987, and of each fiscal year thereafter,'' and
inserting ``of each fiscal year,''.
(b) Repeal of Inoperative Provisions.--Sections 8 and 10 of
the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 1851
note) are repealed.

SEC. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN PREPARATION OF PLANS AND
AMENDMENTS TO PLANS FOR ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS.

(a) In General.--The Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act
(16 U.S.C. 1851 note), as amended by section 3(b) of this
Act, is further amended by adding after section 7 the
following new section:

``SEC. 8. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN PREPARATION OF PLANS AND
AMENDMENTS TO PLANS FOR ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS.

``The Commission shall establish standards and procedures
to ensure that the Commission provides an adequate
opportunity for public participation in the preparation of
any plan for the management of Atlantic Striped Bass and any
amendment to such a plan (including any amendment to the
Interstate Fisheries Management Plan for Striped Bass, dated
October 1, 1981), including public hearings and procedures
for the submission of written comments to the Commission.''.
(b) Deadline.--Within 6 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission shall issue standards and procedures under section
8 of the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act (16 U.S.C.
1851 note), as amended by subsection (a), of this section.

SEC. 5. TRANSFER OF EXISTING PROVISION TO ATLANTIC STRIPED
BASS CONSERVATION ACT.

So much of section 6 of the Act entitled ``An Act to
authorize appropriations to carry out the Atlantic Striped
Bass Conservation Act for fiscal years 1989 through 1991, and
for other purposes'' (approved November 3, 1988; Public Law
100-589; 102 Stat. 2986) as precedes subsection (g) of that
section--
(1) is transferred from that Act to the Atlantic Striped
Bass Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 185 note);
(2) shall appear immediately after section 8 of the
Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act, as amended by section
4 of this Act; and
(3) is redesignated as section 9 of the Atlantic Striped
Bass Conservation Act.

SEC. 6. AMENDMENT AND EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION FOR
ANADROMOUS FISH CONSERVATION ACT.

(a) Scope of Studies.--Section 7(a) of the Anadromous Fish
Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 757g(a)) is amended by striking
``and'' after the semicolon at the end of paragraph (2), by
striking the period at the end of paragraph (3) and inserting
``; and'', and by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(4) the effects of water quality and other habitat
changes on the recruitment, spawning potential, mortality
rates, and population abundance of the Delaware River striped
bass population.''.
(b) Extension of Authorization.--Section 7(d) of the
Anadromous Fish Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 757g(d)) is
amended by striking ``each of the fiscal years 1991, 1992,
1993, and 1994'' and inserting ``each of the fiscal years
1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998''.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey [Mr. Saxton] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the
gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Studds] will be recognized for 20
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Saxton].
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. SAXTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, today we are considering H.R. 1139, the
Striped Bass Conservation Act Amendments of 1995.
Mr. Speaker, before I proceed to explain the bill, I would like to
make note that this bill is a product of a high degree of bipartisan
work and a high degree of bipartisan support.
While H.R. 1139 carries my name as the primary sponsor this year, in
past years very similar legislation carried the names of others,
including, as prime sponsor, the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr.
Studds]. And, as a member of the minority, I was pleased to have had a
great deal of input from the then chairman of the Committee on Fish and
Wildlife, so to the extent that I can extend to past Congresses and to
the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Studds], congratulations for
bringing us to this point, it is my pleasure to explain the bill.
Mr. Speaker, as the result of a significant population decline that
began in the 1970's, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
developed an interstate fishery management plan for striped bass.
Congress also responded to the decline of striped bass populations by
authorizing the Emergency Striped Bass Study in 1979.
In 1984, Congress enacted the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act.
The act was originally introduced by my good friend, Gerry Studds, the
ranking minority member of the Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans
Subcommittee. This act requires a Federal moratorium on striped bass
fishing in States that do not implement management measures consistent
with the Commission's striped bass plan. Implementation of this plan
has led to a resurgence in Atlantic Coast striped bass which are now
considered fully recovered.
Mr. Speaker, I think this is one of the times when we can
collectively say that this House did something right which culminated
in the fully desired result.
H.R. 1139 extends the authorization for the Striped Bass Conservation
Act through fiscal year 1996, and extends the striped bass study
through fiscal year 1998.
I urge my colleagues to support the continuation of this vital and
highly successful conservation effort by voting ``aye'' on this
important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
[[Page H4559]] (Mr. STUDDS asked and was given permission to revise
and extend his remarks.)
Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr.
Saxton] for his graciousness. This is, indeed, an utterly nonpartisan
success. It is bipartisan. In fact, I never expected it to be
completely bipartisan in my life. It has always had majority and
minority support, and I never expected it to be on both sides, but here
we are.
Mr. Speaker, let me just say a word and supplement what the gentleman
says. This is really a success story, a decade after the passage of the
original act, an inspiration to fishermen and to managers that
conservation can in fact work.
Ten years ago striped bass stocks along the Atlantic coast had
declined to dangerously low levels as a result both of overfishing and
pollution. Fishermen and managers alike were concerned that this
fishery would soon become endangered. In an unprecedented move,
Congress passed the Striped Bass Conservation Act, designed to support
State efforts to reverse this trend. The management program established
under the act was at the time of its inception in 1984 unique.
It relies upon the States to develop regulations for their waters
that are consistent with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission's management plan for striped bass. If a State fails in its
efforts, a Federal moratorium is imposed.
This partnership was so successful that in January of this year, the
commission declared the striper to be fully recovered. The
implementation of the Federal-State partnership embodied in the act has
restored the striper to its former glory as one of the most important
sport and commercial fisheries on the East Coast. Fishermen in my State
from Martha's Vineyard to Mattapoisett are celebrating the return of
the striper, but are mindful of the need to continue the conservation
and management programs that have brought this fishery back from the
crash of the preceding decade. This bill will ensure this is the case,
and I enthusiastically urge Members to support it today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to another gentleman from New Jersey,
Mr. Pallone.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to thank the two gentleman,
my colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Saxton], and my
colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Studds], for putting
together this legislation. In particular, both of them have been
supportive of language which was placed in the bill that would ensure
public participation on all striped bass management plans.
Many people who are involved with striped bass management know that
there is a large and vociferous group of recreational fishermen out
there who become very concerned about any changes that are made in the
management plan. One of the things that they continually tell us is
that they want to be involved at every stage in whatever management
plan changes are put forward.
This bill and the language that is in the bill guarantee that public
participation will do what is necessary to make sure that they have
their opportunity to be heard.
I certainly want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Saxton]
and the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Studds] for their cooperation
in putting that language in the bill.
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of
the Striped Bass Conservation Act amendments and I compliment the
author of the bill, Jim Saxton, for his leadership in moving this
important measure.
The Atlantic coast stock of striped bass are found in waters from
North Carolina to Maine. They are highly migratory but move primarily
along the coast within the 3-mile zone, which is subject to State
fishery management.
While striped bass populations have fluctuated dramatically in the
past, the population suffered a drastic decline in the 1970s. In fact,
striped bass harvests dropped from 15 million pounds in 1973 to 3.5
million pounds in 1983.
In response to this serious problem, Congress approved an emergency
striped bass study and the Atlantic Striped Bass conservation Act of
1984. This law requires all affected coastal States to implement
management measures to conserve and protect the remaining stocks of
Atlantic striped bass.
While the resurgence of striped bass is a major fishery management
success, H.R. 1139 will ensure that this remarkable recovery is not
compromised in the days ahead.
As reported from my committee, this legislation will reauthorize both
the Striped Bass Conservation Act and section 7 of the Anadromous Fish
Conservation Act, which funds ongoing striped bass population studies.
In addition, the bill focuses attention on stripers in the Delaware
River and encourages greater public participation in the writing of
management plans.
Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on H.R. 1139 and again compliment
Jim Saxton and Gerry Studds for their outstanding leadership in this
major conservation effort. I would hope more of our fishery management
efforts prove to be this successful in the future.
Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Saxton], that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1139, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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