Editor's View: House Magnuson Bill is ''The Destabilization of Our Nation's Fisheries Act'
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [The Editor’s View] by John Sackton May 6, 2015
The Magnuson-Stevens Act revisions that were passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources last week appear to create conditions for massive destabilization of US fisheries.
Despite the fact that Chairman Don Young is from Alaska, the bill he has allowed out of committee bears scant resemblance to anything that would have been allowed by former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.
In the eight years since the last Magnuson Reauthorization in 2007, US Fisheries have in general have shown remarkable success, with a few notable failures.
Management successes have been widespread in the West Coast and Alaska. For example, the Alaska pollock fishery hit its low point in 2010, and good management practices have resulted in a rapid rebuilding of that stock to one of the highest levels ever.
Back around 2007 West Coast groundfish was in a real crisis. Rockfish bycatch was shutting down fisheries...
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