[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 156 (Saturday, November 8, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12191-S12192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            STRIPED BASS CONSERVATION ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1997

 Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I rise today in support of H.R. 
1658, the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act Amendments of 1997. 
This legislation will allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 
National Marine Fisheries Service to continue their important work with 
the States to ensure the continued recovery of the striped bass 
fishery.

[[Page S12192]]

  The striped bass, commonly called rockfish in this area, is an 
anadromous fish which lives in marine waters during its adult life and 
migrates to a freshwater river stream to spawn. On the Atlantic coast, 
striped bass range from the St. Lawrence River in Canada to the St. 
Johns River in Florida. They are migratory, moving along the coast 
primarily within the three-mile zone which is subject to State fishery 
management. Adult habitats include the coastal rivers and the nearshore 
ocean and are distributed along the coast from Maine through North 
Carolina. Because striped bass pass through the jurisdiction of several 
States, Federal involvement in conservation efforts are necessary.
  A severe population decline, which began in the 1970's, raised 
serious concerns about the sustainability of the striped bass fishery. 
In 1979, I offered an amendment to the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act 
that directed the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine 
Fisheries Service to conduct an emergency study of striped bass. The 
study found that, although habitat degradation played a role, 
overfishing was the primary cause of the population decline.
  In 1981, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission prepared the 
first coast-wide management plan for the Atlantic striped bass. In 1984 
Congress enacted the Striped Bass Act in 1984 to ensure that the States 
would comply with the plan. The act, which includes funding authority 
for a Federal striped bass study, has been amended in 1986, 1988, and 
1991. The most recent reauthorization bill expired at the end of fiscal 
year 1994.
  Under the Striped Bass Act, States are required to implement 
management measures that are consistent with the Commission's plan for 
the conservation of striped bass. The act authorizes the Secretaries of 
Commerce and the Interior to impose a moratorium on striped bass 
fishing in any state that is not in compliance with the Commission's 
management plan. The act also authorizes funding for the ongoing 
striped bass study that was approved by Congress in 1979 in response to 
the decline in the Atlantic striped bass populations. The Federal 
study, undertaken jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 
National Marine Fisheries Service, provides information on the threats 
to and the status of the striped bass population and scientific data 
necessary for sound management decisions.

  The striped bass study in 1994 showed that most population indices 
had returned to pre-decline levels, and the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission declared the species to be fully restored. It is a 
great testament to the Striped Bass Act and the cooperative efforts of 
the States and Federal Government that the fishery is continually 
improving.
  The striped bass has proven once again that, given a chance, nature 
will rebound and overcome tremendous setbacks. But it is up to us to 
help the striped bass receive that chance. Reauthorization of the 
Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act Amendments of 1997 will ensure 
that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine 
Fisheries Commission will continue to monitor the populations, and 
collect data that will provide the necessary information needed to make 
informed decisions essential to maintaining healthy populations of 
striped bass.
  Mr. President, I strongly encourage the Senate to pass H.R. 1658 to 
continue one of the most significant recovery ever experienced for a 
coastal finfish species.

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