[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 51 (Wednesday, April 2, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S2358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. NELSON of Florida:
  S. 2803. A bill to amend the Act entitled ``An Act authorizing 
associations of producers of aquatic products'' to include persons 
engaged in the fishery industry as charter boats or recreational 
fishermen, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President. I rise today to introduce 
legislation to aid an industry that is vital to the State of Florida 
and that, like many others in this Nation, is suffering during the 
current economic downturn: the charter and recreational fishing 
industry.
  I am introducing the Charter and Recreational Fishing Collective 
Marketing Act of 2008. This bill would allow charter boat and other 
recreational fishermen to act together in associations for the purposes 
of catching, producing, and marketing aquatic products. By gaining 
strength in numbers through such associations, charter and recreational 
fishermen could negotiate lower prices when purchasing services and 
products, such as insurance, fuel, ice, and other supplies.
  If they choose to do so, this bill would also allow these 
associations to implement vessel capacity reduction programs--in other 
words, to buy-out those members who already wish to leave the industry 
voluntarily but lack the financial wherewithal to do so. These 
associations could also undertake research, such as scientific 
monitoring of their fisheries, and in the process help improve 
conservation and management of fishery resources.
  Mr. President, this legislation does nothing more than provide 
charter and recreational fishermen the same rights and abilities to 
work collectively that commercial fishermen have enjoyed since 1934. 
This legislation has no hearing on fishing allocations or related 
regulations. In light of the great economic challenges that our country 
is facing, we have an obligation to ensure the viability of industries 
that support our coastal communities. The Charter and Recreational 
Fishing Collective Marketing Act of 2008 would help us meet that 
obligation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2803

       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 ``The Charter and Recreational 
     Fishing Collective Marketing Act of 2008''.

     SEC. 2. CHARTER BOATS AND RECREATIONAL FISHERMEN.

       (a) In General.--The Act entitled ``An Act authorizing 
     associations of producers of aquatic products'', approved 
     June 25, 1934 (15 U.S.C. 521), is amended--
       (1) in the second undesignated paragraph, by inserting 
     ``and recreational'' after ``includes all commercial''; and
       (2) by inserting after the first undesignated paragraph the 
     following:
       ``Persons engaged in the fishery industry, as charter boat 
     or recreational fishermen catching aquatic products, may act 
     together in associations, corporate or otherwise, with or 
     without capital stock, in collectively catching, producing, 
     and marketing such aquatic products, including implementing a 
     vessel capacity reduction program, improving the operational 
     and economic efficiency of a fishery, undertaking research, 
     and improving the conservation and management of a fishery 
     resource.''.
       (b) Construction.--Nothing in this section or the 
     amendments made by this section shall be construed to 
     diminish or supersede any authority or provision of the 
     Magnuson-Sevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 
     U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
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