[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18237-18238]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             FISHERMAN'S PROTECTIVE ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1999

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 579) providing for the concurrence by the House 
with an amendment in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1651.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 579

       Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution the 
     House shall be considered to have taken from the Speaker's 
     table the bill H.R. 1651, with the Senate amendment thereto, 
     and to have concurred in the Senate amendment with the 
     following amendment:
       Page 1, line 4, strike ``SEC. 401. USE OF AIRCRAFT 
     PROHIBITED.'' and all that follows through ``SEC. 402.'', and 
     insert ``SEC. 401.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. 
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 579.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1651, the Fisherman's 
Protective Act Amendments. This bill makes a number of fishery 
conservation improvements in several important laws.
  Title I amends the Fisheries Protective Act to extend current law so 
that reimbursement may be provided to owners of U.S. fishing vessels 
illegally detained or seized by foreign countries. Since this provision 
has expired, the bill will ensure that U.S. vessels illegally seized or 
fined by a foreign nation are able to seek reimbursement in the future.
  Title II establishes a panel to advise the Secretaries of State and 
the Interior of the Yukon River salmon management issues in Alaska. The 
U.S. and Canada had an interim agreement regarding management of the 
salmon stocks of mutual interests in the Yukon River, but the agreement 
expired in March of 1998. When the interim agreement expired, it was 
unclear whether the advisory panel was still authorized to recommend 
salmon restoration measures.
  This bill codifies the Yukon River Salmon Panel and authorizes the 
panel to advise the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the 
Interior on the management, enhancement, and restoration of Yukon River 
salmon stocks and perform other activities that relate to the 
conservation and management of the Yukon River salmon stocks.
  Finally, Title III authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to acquire, 
purchase, lease, lease-purchase, or charter and equip up to six fishery 
survey vessels. These vessels are one of the most important fishery 
management tools available to Federal scientists. Because they conduct 
a vast majority of fishery

[[Page 18238]]

stock surveys, their reliability is critical to fishery management. The 
information obtained using them is critical for the improvement of 
regulations governing fisheries management.
  This bill is virtually identical to the measure that overwhelmingly 
passed the House last year; however, it does not include the extraneous 
measure added in the other body dealing with the harvest of bluefin 
tuna using spotter planes in the North Atlantic. This is a good 
conservation bill, and I urge an aye vote on this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1651, which was passed by the 
House last year. As my colleague and dear friend from Maryland (Mr. 
Gilchrest) on the other side of the aisle has explained it, this bill 
contains several provisions intended to improve fisheries conservation, 
management, and data collection.
  It was approved unanimously by the Senate, the other body, last 
month; and I do urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 579.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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