[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9822-9823]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        GULF OF MEXICO FISHERIES

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I filed two amendments to the 
emergency supplemental bill that focused on the desperate need for gulf

[[Page 9823]]

fisheries data in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon spill.
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration knows our oceans 
and has responsibilities under several Federal laws to analyze the 
impacts of oil and gas production on sea life. My first amendment would 
have added $22 million in funding to support baseline environmental 
monitoring and assessments of the Gulf of Mexico's fisheries. $5 
million of that funding would have gone to cooperative research grants 
that would have allowed fishermen to get out on the water and help 
collect this data.
  These funds are needed so that NOAA can do this valuable research 
throughout the gulf before the oil hits and then again while the spill 
moves. Like my colleague from New Jersey, Senator Lautenberg, I am 
committed to ensuring that those responsible bear the costs of this 
incident. And so my amendment would have required that the parties 
responsible for this spill reimburse these funds so that the American 
taxpayer doesn't shoulder this burden in the longrun.
  Why do we need this information? At a commerce hearing on May 18, Dr. 
French-Mckay, a Ph.D. in biological oceanography, testified that the 
lighter hydrocarbons in the oil--chemicals like benzene and toluene--
would dissolve by the time the oil reaches Florida's coral reefs. These 
hydrocarbons in solution might be just as toxic as they would be if 
they were still in the oil--but you won't be able to see when they hit. 
Yesterday, the University of South Florida issued a press release about 
research they had done that confirmed that there are dissolved 
hydrocarbons northeast of the spill that you cannot see with the naked 
eye. The only way you will know the effects of the hydrocarbons on 
coral and on the entire food web is to know the baseline amounts of 
these dissolved chemicals present in the water before the spill hits.
  Additionally, the fisheries in the fertile Gulf of Mexico are in 
jeopardy. Mangrove habitats provide nursery grounds for juvenile 
sportfish. The spawning season of many economically and ecologically 
significant species is upon us. A recent report estimated that 
saltwater recreational fishing the Everglades alone is worth more than 
$800 million a year.
  Unfortunately, baseline data for fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico is 
lacking. For example, there has never been a complete stock assessment 
for Tarpon and as a result, there are gaps in the knowledge of Tarpon 
behavior. Data that is available has been collected by a tagging 
program implemented by anglers. The research on economically important 
reef fish that our commercial and charter fishermen make their 
livelihoods from is also sparse at best.
  The effects of oil and dispersants on spawning, larval stages, 
juvenile stages, migrating patterns and lifespan of these valuable 
fishery and coral resources must be documented. Our Nation's scientists 
cannot accurately measure the impacts of this devastating spill on our 
fisheries without baseline pre-impact data. The research community in 
Florida knows how to conduct these assessments. In fact, they have done 
this for years when funding is available. The State of Florida has 
already spent over half a million dollars collecting baseline data.
  Yesterday, I filed a second-degree amendment. I worked with Members 
from the Gulf Coast States to try to put something together that could 
help all of the fishermen impacted by the spill and also evaluate the 
impacts on the natural resources. Unfortunately, that did not work, but 
I am pleased to have been a part of getting some funding for fisheries 
research with the passage of Senator Shelby's amendment. This will 
provide funds that can be utilized immediately to collect this data. 
This is an invaluable investment. I would hope that there is a way to 
utilize the skill and resources of the fishermen by doing cooperative 
research.

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