[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 136 (Friday, September 27, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H11529-H11530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page H11529]]

       ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS CONSERVATION ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1996

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 4139) to reauthorize and amend the Atlantic 
Striped Bass Conservation Act and the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4139

       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 ``Atlantic Striped Bass 
     Conservation Act Amendments of 1996''.

     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 fiscal year 1997,''.

     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     note) are repealed.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.

       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)--
       (1) is amended by striking subsection (g);
       (2) as so amended, is transferred from that Act to the 
     Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 1851 note);
_______________________________________________________________________
                              N O T I C E

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_______________________________________________________________________

[[Page H11530]]


       (3) shall appear immediately after section 8 of the 
     Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act, as amended by section 
     4 of this Act; and
       (4) 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 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 ``fiscal year 1997''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey [Mr. Saxton] and the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone] 
each will control 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, 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 1970's. 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.
  The resurgence of striped bass is a major fishery management success 
story. In fact, Maryland recently announced that a record-shattering 
number of young striped bass were found this year in the State's long-
running annual striped bass survey. This survey is one of the most 
important barometers used to judge the health of the Atlantic coast 
striped bass stock. H.R. 4139 will ensure that this remarkable recovery 
continues.
  This legislation will reauthorize both the Striped Bass Conservation 
Act and 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, let me just say also that we have done a lot of things 
on the Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans Subcommittee, and, of course, 
previous to that we operated in the framework of the Merchant Marine 
Committee.
  For the past 12 years, the years that I have been here, we have done 
a lot of things to try to conserve and protect and enhance fisheries 
populations, not only in the Atlantic Ocean, obviously, but in the Gulf 
and in the waters offshore of the west coast as well.
  This effort, which, I must add, has been on a bipartisan basis, has 
been a real success story, and so early in 1995 we passed in this House 
a bill very similar to this to reauthorize the act for 1995 and 1996. 
The other body has failed to act.
  This bill reauthorizes, therefore, the Atlantic Striped Bass 
Conservation Act with some very minor changes for the year 1997. We are 
hopeful that in the next 48 hours or so, the other body will see its 
way clear to take up this measure so that we can proceed to have an 
enhanced striped bass protection and enhancement effort ongoing in 
1997.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the continuation 
of this vital and highly successful conservation effort by voting in 
favor of what I consider to be very important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill.
  Twelve years ago striped bass stocks along the Atlantic coast had 
declined to very low levels as a result of overfishing and pollution. 
Fishermen and managers alike were concerned that this fishery would 
soon become an endangered species.
  In an unprecedented move, Congress passed the Striped Bass 
Conservation Act designed to support State efforts to reverse this 
frightening trend. Today, the implementation of the Federal-State 
partnership embodied in the Striped Bass Act has restored the striper 
to its former glory as one of the most important sport and commercial 
fisheries on the east coast. It is clear evidence that conservation can 
work.
  The conservation management programs that have brought this fishery 
back from the crash of the 1980's must continue, and H.R. 4139 will 
ensure this is the case, and I enthusiastically urge Members to support 
it today.
  I wanted to say I also am pleased that the gentleman from New Jersey 
[Mr. Saxton], has included in the legislation public participation in 
preparation of plans and amendments to plans for Atlantic striped bass. 
This is something that the recreational fishermen along the Jersey 
coast have particularly been very concerned about, that there is 
sufficient public participation, and that provision is now in the bill.
  In addition, if I could mention, I know today that since we need to 
move this bill, and it is important we move it, we can certainly not 
bring up the issue of the game status of striped bass or the ban or 
moratorium on the sale of striped bass caught in the EEZ. But I want to 
mention that I know Mr. Saxton and I would like to see a continued ban 
or moratorium on the sale in the EEZ. Both of us have legislation that 
will either accomplish that or make striped bass a game fish.
  I am hopeful in the next Congress we can work toward these goals. But 
today I am pleased to see this legislation, this reauthorization, is 
coming to the floor. It is very important, and I would again urge 
support of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am told by my diligent staff that during my statement I said that 
we were reauthorizing for 1987, which is obviously only 10 years off 
and it is really 1997. I would also like to thank Mr. Pallone for his 
cooperation here today. This was kind of a last minute thing that we 
decided to do for the reasons that I stated before, primarily because 
of its importance to the continuation of this extremely successful 
effort.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hastings of Washington). 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. 4139.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voting in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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