Marine fisheries and the14 million anglers that cast into the oceans each year are depending on Congress to pass an improved Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act this Congress.

With less than 40 days left on the legislative calendar, the hearing held Wednesday by the House Resources Committee was a critical step in the process of reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

“The clock is ticking on this Congress and the Resources Committee needs to move quickly after today’s hearing to come to consensus on a bill that can enact important changes in marine fisheries management,” noted Bob Hayes, of the Coastal Conservation Association.

Hayes, who is also a co-chair of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s (TRCP) Marine Conservation Working Group (MCWG) continued, saying that “Recreational anglers will benefit if the final bill includes our groups’ four key SALT principles: Science must be used in marine fisheries conservation; Allocation of fisheries resources should be more equitable to recreational fishermen; Licensing saltwater anglers will improve data collection and increase funding; and Tackle used by fishermen should reduce bycatch and not damage habitat.”

Conservation of essential fish habitats also needs to be addressed.

At the hearing, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) testified in favor of a national registry of recreational saltwater anglers so that they could implement the recommendations of the National Research Council to improve data collection. The Administration supported TRCP’s MCWG view that a state-based system would be more effective to: (1) determine the number of saltwater anglers in federal and state waters; (2) provide for uniform collection of standardized data on catch levels; (3) utilize and build upon the existing network of state fishing licensing systems for efficiency and ease of availability to the angling public, and (4) provide for federal access to such data to improve recreational harvest statistics.

For additional information about the Magnuson-Stevens Act and more details on SALT Principles and habitat protection/restoration initiatives, go to: www.angling4oceans.org