[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 27, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2049]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mrs. Capito):
  S. 906. A bill to improve the management of driftnet fishing; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to re-introduce the 
``Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act.'' This legislation 
would update the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act to phase out the use of harmful drift gillnets and replace them 
with more sustainable fishing gear. I would like to thank my colleague, 
Senator Capito, for once again co-leading this important bill.
  Drift gillnets, which are approximately one to one and a half miles 
long, are intended to catch swordfish and thresher shark off the coast 
of California. Tragically, nearly 60 other species are frequently 
caught and killed in the nets, including dolphins, porpoises, whales, 
sea lions, and sea turtles. These are known as bycatch.
  While some of these species can be sold, most are wastefully thrown 
back into the ocean either dead or seriously injured.
  According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, these harmful 
nets account for 90% of whale and porpoise species killed in West Coast 
Fisheries. In the 1980s, Congress enacted legislation to end the 
domestic use of driftnets approximately 1.5 miles or longer. Under 
President George H.W. Bush, the United States entered binding 
international agreements banning such nets worldwide.
  Driftnets are prohibited or are not utilized off the United States' 
Atlantic and Gulf coasts as well as in Washington State, Oregon, 
Alaska, and Hawaii. Mexico permanently banned the use of these nets in 
the Gulf of California in 2017.
  However, neither domestic nor international law currently includes 
the drift gillnets used in Federal waters off the coast of California 
to catch swordfish and thresher shark, despite their significant impact 
on protected marine life. This California-based fishery is the last 
place in the United States where these deadly driftnets are allowed.
  Last year, the California legislature passed a bill, subsequently 
signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, to phase out these large-mesh 
drift gillnets in State waters and establish a buyout program over a 
four-year period.
  The State law requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife 
to establish a voluntary ``permit transition program'' by March 2020 
that will compensate fishermen during this transition process. 
California has already dedicated $1 million for the program and another 
$1 million is being sought through a public-private partnership.
  Now that these nets are banned in State waters, our legislation to 
ban the nets in Federal waters is more timely than ever. The ``Driftnet 
Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act'' would phase out the use of 
drift gillnets over the five years after enactment. The bill also 
authorizes the Department of Commerce to assist fishermen in 
transitioning from driftnets to more sustainable gear types, which 
studies have shown actually increase profitability.
  Updated fishing gear that could replace driftnets is available and 
has been successfully deployed in the Atlantic Ocean and in trials in 
the Pacific Ocean. Deep-set buoy gear, for example, allows fishermen to 
more accurately target swordfish and other marketable species in deep, 
cold water. The gear alerts fishermen immediately when they have fish 
on the line, so the fish can be retrieved and delivered to market 
quickly, thereby garnering a higher price.
  In a 2016 poll, California voters overwhelmingly supported efforts to 
end the use of drift gillnets to catch swordfish, with 87 percent of 
those surveyed in a poll commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts 
agreeing that fishermen should use less harmful gear.
  Our bill enjoys support from a wide range of commercial fishing 
companies, sportfishing groups, and environmental organizations, 
including: the American Sportfishing Association, the International 
Game Fish Association, Coastal Conservation Association of California, 
Yamaha USA, Okaiwa Corporation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, Oceana, Sea 
Legacy, and Mission Blue.
  Our ``Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act'' will protect 
valuable marine life unique to the West Coast, including several 
endangered species. This bill will also help fishermen to provide 
fresher, more profitable, and more sustainable seafood to American 
consumers.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the ``Driftnet 
Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act.'' Thank you, Mr. President. I 
yield the Floor.
                                 ______