Help Bring Balance and Common Sense to Federal Marine Fisheries Management

[Lee Borgersen]

 
Act Now to Help Bring Balance and Common Sense to Federal Marine Fisheries Management
 

Send a letter to your Senators urging them to support the Fishery Conservation Transition Act
 
Background
In 2006, Congress reauthorized the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), which is the primary law governing marine fisheries management. Important amendments made to the MSA were intended to drive the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) to more effective marine fisheries management and stock rebuilding.
 
While the intentions behind the reauthorization of MSA were aimed at better marine fisheries conservation, it has become apparent that NOAA Fisheries was not prepared for a law that mandates all our marine resources be managed to end overfishing by certain dates in 2011. Over the past three years, NOAA Fisheries has not complied with the amendments in many fisheries such as South Atlantic red snapper other than to resort to the most draconian measures, namely total fishery closures. The inattention by NOAA Fisheries to recreational fishing over time, combined with new mandates included in the MSA, has led to major problems in need of major immediate action.
 
The Solution
On July 15, 2010, Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) introduced S. 3594, the Fishery Conservation Transition Act (FCTA). This bill will give NOAA Fisheries the time, resources and guidance to reprioritize its responsibilities in order to properly implement MSA in the manner in which it was originally envisioned by Congress in 2006. The FCTA will provide time to improve recreational fishery management and data gathering, meet the conservation and management priorities of MSA, and avoid "crisis management" by closure.
 
In short, the FCTA will better ensure a future for our marine resources and a future for recreational angling.
 
How You Can Help
Send a letter to your Senators urging them to support S. 3594, Fishery Conservation Transition Act. To send a letter, click here or visit http://capwiz.com/keepamericafishing/issues/alert/?alertid=15296071
 
Thank you for doing your part to Keep America Fishing!