[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 24, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               GREATER FLEXIBILITY FOR FLORIDA FISHERMEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, this week I met with commercial and 
recreational fishermen from my Congressional district of the Florida 
Keys. These hardworking men and women have taken time out of their busy 
season to travel up here to Washington, D.C., to protest the latest 
round of onerous and unfair Federal fishing regulations and closures.
  Florida's recreational fishing industry is the largest in the Nation. 
It's economic impact to our State exceeds $5.3 billion, and more than 
54,000 jobs are generated by this industry. Similarly, Florida's 
commercial fishing industry is nearly 13,000 strong and contributes a 
staggering $1.2 billion to our economy.
  Our fishermen understand that maintaining a robust, healthy fishery 
through appropriate regulation is the key to their economic success. 
However, the recent fishing bans on red snapper and shallow water 
grouper enacted by the South Atlantic Fisheries Council are devastating 
to our Florida fishing industry. The bans not only threaten the jobs of 
recreational and commercial fishermen, but also the small business 
owners that support and economically benefit from these industries.
  Local restaurants will look to carry more cost-affordable fish from 
countries such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic, as opposed to 
featuring fresh, Florida-caught fish, crab, and lobster. Hotels, dive 
shops, and other tourist attractions will also continue to suffer as 
fishing enthusiasts decide to travel elsewhere.
  The impact of this multibillion dollar industry on the State of 
Florida cannot be overstated. And yet, one by one, these fishermen are 
being regulated out of business.
  I'm a cosponsor of a bill known as the Transparency in Job Loss from 
Fishery Closures Act, and this is a bill introduced by my colleague, 
Congressman Henry Brown. This bipartisan bill instructs NOAA to reverse 
the harmful fishing closures and calls for stricter policies before 
implementing further closings.
  In particular, this bill requires that NOAA conduct a comprehensive 
review of recent fishery closures and provides sufficient updated 
research showing that a closure is the only option to maintain the 
fishery. In this review, NOAA must consider the impact of each closure 
on the coastal communities being regulated, including the impact on 
their small businesses and the losses of the jobs that would entail 
these closures.
  I also support efforts to increase fisheries research to improve 
enforcement systems and to reform the flawed Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Act.
  I'm a cosponsor of a bill introduced by Congressman Frank Pallone, 
which would amend Magnuson to provide greater flexibility to State 
regulators and fishery managers.
  The process of collecting data utilized by Federal regulators in 
determining fishing closures also needs to be revisited.
  The Scientific and Statistics Committees need to conduct their 
business in an open, transparent forum that also considers input from 
the fishing industry. What a concept. Opening up this committee to 
stakeholders' feedback and congressional oversight will go a long way 
in repairing the trust between regulators and local fishermen.
  In this stagnant economy, Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that we do 
all that we can to protect a historic and much needed industry from 
economic disaster. Our Nation's fishermen deserve and require our 
immediate action.

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