[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 48 (Thursday, April 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2592-S2593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse):
  S. 713. A bill to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act to add Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today, along with my colleague Senator 
Whitehouse, I am introducing the Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act 
of 2013.
  For nearly a decade, I have worked to give the fishermen of my state 
full participation in the management of the fish stocks that they rely 
on for their livelihoods.
  The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
established eight regional fishery management councils to give 
fishermen and other stakeholders the leading role in developing the 
fishery management plans for federally-regulated species. As such, the 
councils have enormous significance on the lives and livelihoods of 
fishermen. To ensure equitable representation, the statute sets out the 
states from which appointees are to be drawn for each council.
  Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the State of Rhode Island was granted 
voting membership on the New England Fishery Management Council, NEFMC, 
as NEFMC-managed stocks represent a significant percentage of landings 
and revenue for the state. However, while Rhode Island's participation 
in the New England fishery remains important, its stake in the Mid-
Atlantic fishery has become more critical. Yet, it does not have voting 
representation on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, MAFMC, 
which currently consists of representatives from New York, New Jersey, 
Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.
  Rhode Island's stake in the Mid-Atlantic fishery is hardly 
incidental. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, NOAA, data, Rhode Island accounted for approximately 20 
percent of the commercial catch from this fishery in 2012, and its 
landings are greater than the combined total of landings for the States 
of New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North 
Carolina. In fact, New Jersey is the only state currently represented 
on the MAFMC that lands more MAFMC-regulated species than Rhode Island.
  While Rhode Island is represented on some policy-setting committees 
on the MAFMC, its position on those committees is not guaranteed nor 
does the state have a vote on matters as they come before the full 
council. Having that representation can be critically important to 
Rhode Island as decisions are made on critical stocks like squid, which 
comprised 40 percent of the state's annual landings in 2012 according 
to NOAA data, and is a major part of our commercial fishing sector.
  This legislation offers Rhode Island that voice. Following current 
practice, the Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act would create two 
seats on the MAFMC for Rhode Island: one seat appointed by the 
Secretary of Commerce based on recommendations from the Governor of 
Rhode Island, and a second seat filled by Rhode Island's principal 
State official with marine fishery management responsibility. To 
accommodate these new members, the MAFMC would increase in size from 21 
voting members to 23.
  There is precedent for this type of change. North Carolina was added 
to the MAFMC through an amendment to the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 
1996. Like Rhode Island, a significant proportion of North Carolina's 
landed fish species were managed by the MAFMC, yet the state had no 
vote on the council.
  With mounting economic, ecological, and regulatory challenges, it is 
more important than ever that Rhode Island's fishermen have a voice in 
the management of the fisheries on which they depend. I look forward to 
working with Senator Whitehouse and my other colleagues to restore a 
measure of equity to the fisheries management process by passing the 
Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act.

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