[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9983]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 OPPOSITION TO H. AMDT. 757 TO H.R. 4660, COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, 
             AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015

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                         HON. ROBERT J. WITTMAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 11, 2014

  Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the amendment 
offered by my colleague and friend from Florida.
  First, I want to commend the gentleman from Florida for his tireless 
efforts on behalf of his constituents. I recognize and appreciate the 
challenges many of his constituents are having with the Gulf of Mexico 
Council and the mismanagement issues plaguing the Red Snapper fishery.
  As a member of the authorizing committee and someone who has spent 
decades dealing with fisheries issues, I am concerned about the 
implications of this amendment to fishermen in my district and in the 
Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia Waterman's Association has 
contacted me to express their opposition to this amendment, which would 
limit future catch share programs. Fishing has always been a key 
component of Virginia's economy, and the health of the resource is 
vital to its future. There are enormous benefits to the proper 
management of fisheries.
  Fisheries management, however, is a complex issue. It requires good 
science. It requires good analytics. And, more importantly, it requires 
good management tools. Catch shares can be a useful management tool, 
and they have proven to be an effective management program in many 
fisheries, including striped bass, surf clam, quahog, golden tilefish, 
and scallop. Additionally, in Virginia there is interest in new catch 
shares for tautog and blue crab.
  But the decisions over whether to use them are best left to the 
regional fishery management councils, which were established by 
Congress for this very purpose. The participants on those regional 
fishery management councils have extensive knowledge of their local 
fisheries and are better equipped than Congress to make decisions on 
what management regimes to use in their regions.
  I understand the concerns of my colleagues about the way some 
fisheries are managed in the United States. I share some of those 
concerns and look forward to continuing working through the House 
Natural Resources Committee to address them during reauthorization of 
Magnuson-Stevens. I do not believe that this amendment is the right 
approach to solving fishery management problems, nor is it good for the 
Commonwealth of Virginia. I am therefore opposed to the amendment.

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