REAUTHORIZATION OF THE MAGNUSON FISH- 

 ERY, CONSERVATION, AND MANAGEMENT 

 ACT 



FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1993 



U.S. Senate, 

 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 



Kodiak, AK. 



The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9 a.m. at Kodiak Re- 

 gional High School Choral Pod, Kodiak, AK, Hon. Ernest F. Hol- 

 lings (chairman of the committee) presiding. 



Staff members assigned to this hearing: Penelope D. Dalton, sen- 

 ior professional staff member; and John A. Moran, minority staff 

 counsel. 



OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR HOLLINGS 



The Chairman. I want to thank Admiral Rufe and the Coast 

 Guard for getting us here and for their hospitality in taking care 

 of us. We are going to hear from the Admiral in just a minute. 



Let me particularly thank my ranking member, Senator Ted Ste- 

 vens. As I said yesterday, if you want somebody to fight for you, 

 I do not know any other of the 100 Senators who fights more for 

 his State than Ted Stevens of Alaska. He and I have served to- 

 gether for 25 years, and I am not being facetious. If you have Pan- 

 ama Canal legislation up for consideration in the Senate, he has 

 an Alaska amendment. I do not care what the issue is. If we go 

 into debate over a resolution on Bosnia, he will have an Alaska 

 amendment on it. Whatever it is, he has something to take care of 

 Alaska's needs and wants. And he is particularly expert in the fish- 

 eries field because that is the predominant industry other than the 

 oil right in his own home State. 



We had a very good hearing yesterday on the Magnuson Act, 

 which will continue today. Under that act, we took charge of our 

 own fisheries resources back in 1976, and from all the testimony 

 that we have heard back in Washington and otherwise, it generally 

 is working very well. It will be reauthorized this Congress, and we 

 are looking for any meaningful amendments that should be made. 



There has always been a contest with respect to the representa- 

 tion on the regional fisheries management councils. That brings to 

 mind that we have a 10 billion pound catch in the United States, 

 and 6 of that 10 billion, the majority of the catch, comes from the 

 State of Alaska. American Fishery resources bring in almost $4 bil- 

 lion at the dock. In addition, we have a wonderful export market 

 worth about $3 billion. When we talk about representation on the 



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