Public Radio for the Central Kenai Peninsula
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Carhartts and Xtratufs Ball — get tickets here!

Outside sportsfishing interests push for changes under Magnuson-Stevens

Sportsfishing rarely gets attention at a North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, mostly because the council deals with fisheries in federal waters. But offshore, or saltwater, sportsfishing is a growing segment in the Lower 48, and stakeholders in those regions are looking for changes under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to better accommodate their fisheries.

At Wednesday's U.S. Senate hearing in Soldotna on the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization, there were three people who gave testimony from Outside: two from Georgia and one from Virginia, on the topic.

Spud Woodward of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources spoke of the need for better science for managers to base their decisions on, as did most of the speakers, but he also advocated for the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act, which was introduced this summer by a Mississippi senator, as an amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

"You know the legislation currently before the Senate and the House, the modern fisheries act, may have great potential, so we got to look at them with great scrutiny. But I do think it is achievable," Woodward said. "I think if the Act is amended, it would show the states that the National Marine Fisheries Service is extending the olive branch so to speak to try bridge the gap to try and correct some of these problems if there's a willingness on both sides."

Shannon Carrol of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council did not agree, saying the proposed recreational fishing legislation does not adhere closely enough with proven science and management practices.

"To provide sport fishermen more fish, it allows fishery managers to use alternative management measures," he said. "Unfortunately, these measures ignores the precautionary principle for data-poor stocks; stymies research and innovation by making experimental and exempted fishing permit process unworkable and undermines the 10-year stock rebuilding process."

Lori Swanson with the Marine Conservation Alliance also cautioned against allowing alternative data and research in management decisions.

"I would also like to comment on the use of ‘Best Available Science’ in fishery management. Sound science is the bedrock of sustainable fisheries. There are times when what’s presented as the ‘best’ science available may be anecdotal, biased, or untested," she said. "It is very important to understand this information prior to using it. Any research, from any source, should be subject to intense scrutiny before being used in management decisions."

Here is a link to the nearly 3-hour hearing, and copies of the speakers' written testimony.

Related Content