Senate Magnuson draft represents heavy lobbying by NGOs and recreational interests
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS April 21, 2014
The Senate draft for Magunson reauthorization would change forage fish protections and would mandate recreational / commercial allocation reviews. In looking at the draft bill, it is obvious that heavy lobbying by NGOs on forage fish, and by the Coastal Conservation Association and other sport fishing commercial groups, is reflected in the draft bill.
Both groups aim to add provisions to Magnuson that would allow them to force the councils to allocate fish for predator needs, and to take away quotas from commercial users in favor of recreational users.
The recreation language is particularly dangerous, as it would virtually ensure allocation battles before the council every eight years for species where both commercial and recreational qutoas exist. As it has taken the North Pacific Council nearly ten years to address halibut charter allocation issues, the prospect of reopening settled problems every eight years is a recipe for disaster.
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