[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H16916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING CRAIG PENDLETON, FOUNDER OF NORTHWEST ATLANTIC MARINE 
                                ALLIANCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few moments to talk 
about Craig Pendleton, a fisherman from Maine who has dedicated his 
life to protecting and supporting small-boat fishermen and the 
communities that depend on them.
  Craig is part of a long and proud tradition of fishing families in 
Maine. Like many fishermen in New England, he experienced the decline 
of major fishing stocks in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was 
frustrated by Federal management strategies that seemed to penalize 
fishermen without really helping to rebuild the stocks.
  Many fishermen experienced that frustration, but Craig stands out 
because he responded by rolling up his sleeves and working hard to find 
solutions. In 1997, my first year in the Congress, Craig founded the 
Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, or NAMA.
  The purpose of NAMA was to work with fishermen up and down the coast 
of New England to articulate a vision for the future of fishing and 
fisheries management. Most of these fishermen were small owner-
operators who had never participated in politics or management, but 
through NAMA Craig was able to get them involved.
  NAMA was a new voice in the debate over how to manage New England's 
fisheries. Environmental organizations and Federal managers had long 
recognized that fish stocks were in trouble, but the small family 
fishermen were typically shut out of high-level discussions about how 
to solve the problem. These were the people without advocates, without 
lawyers, without expensive lobbyists. However, they were often the 
first to suffer the brunt of any new limits on fishing.
  These are the fishermen that NAMA fights for. Over the years, under 
Craig Pendleton's lead, NAMA has worked tirelessly to help local 
fishermen understand the complicated jargon of new Federal fisheries 
regulations and draft their own proposals for new fisheries management 
plans. I worked closely with Craig and NAMA when I drafted provisions 
in the recently reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act to protect the 
interests of small-boat fishermen. Fishermen feel empowered by NAMA.
  Recently, NAMA became one of the leading proponents of Area 
Management, an innovative fishery management strategy that allows local 
communities to take a leading role in managing fisheries resources. The 
strategy rests on the commonsense idea that fishermen, if they choose, 
should be able to take responsibility for environmental stewardship and 
the fair allocation of fisheries resources in their own communities.
  Recently, Craig Pendleton announced that he is stepping down from the 
position he has held for 12 years as coordinating director of NAMA. 
Here today on the floor of the House, I would like to recognize Craig 
for all his years as a tireless advocate for fishermen and fish and for 
all that he has achieved for small-boat owners and operators in Maine 
and across the country.
  I admire Craig and the other men and women involved with NAMA because 
they are willing to endure significant personal sacrifice to ensure 
that the fishing industry and way of life that they love are preserved 
for their children and grandchildren. I hope that those future 
generations will stand at the helms of their fishing vessels and see 
our time as a turning point, when small fishing communities across the 
country began to take a leading role in the management of the fisheries 
resources on which they all depend. Craig Pendleton is a pioneer of 
that movement, and I would like to thank Craig on behalf of the people 
of Maine and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

                          ____________________