14 



STATEMENT OF MARK REEFF, RESEARCH SPECIALIST, INTERNA- 

 TIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES 



Mr. Reeff. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am Resource Director at 

 the International Association of Fish and Wildhfe Agencies, and we 

 represent State fish and wildUfe agencies across the country most 

 of which are marine fisheries agencies who have the responsibility 

 for the management of these fisheries. 



We are pleased to discuss the bill before the Subcommittee to 

 provide for the enhanced management of Atlantic coastal interjur- 

 isdictional fishery resources. This certainly is an area of great im- 

 portance to State fishery management agencies as States have pri- 

 mary management authority, as you know, over fishery resources 

 in State territorial waters. 



The underlying basis for this bill is the decline and overfishing of 

 Atlan/c coastal fish stocks. Interstate management plans exist or 

 could b^ drafted for these fisheries, but effective implementation of 

 fishery management plans requires all States to enforce regula- 

 tions and take management plans consistent with the management 

 actions. If one or more States do not comply with the provisions of 

 a plan, the effectiveness of interstate management of the fishery 

 can be defeated. Many of these stocks are so fragile it is imperative 

 that something be done. 



The bill would provide for Federal enforcement of provisions for 

 interstate fishery management as determined by the Atlantic 

 coastal States acting through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 

 Commission. The recognition of the need for Federal intervention 

 illustrates the gravity with which the States see this problem. 

 State managers under normal circumstances view such interven- 

 tion with great concern. The States' recognition of the need for this 

 approach, however, emphasizes the seriousness and the need for 

 the situation regarding these fishery stocks. 



The International Association supports the approach embodied in 

 the bill for Atlantic coastal State interjurisdictional fisheries. This 

 support recognizes the role of the Atlantic Coast States in develop- 

 ing the draft language of the bill and the support of the Atlantic 

 States Marine Fisheries Commission. We refer the Subcommittee 

 to ASMFC's testimony for discussion of some of the minor changes 

 which we support. 



However, while we support the general provisions of the current 

 bill, similar situations do not necessarily exist on the other coasts. 

 We would not support a similar approach to address the manage- 

 ment of fishery resources along the Gulf and Pacific Coasts. We 

 make this distinction because of the significant differences along 

 the three coasts between the biological characteristics of fish stocks 

 and between the existing mechanisms for cooperative management 

 among the States. 



We urge the Subcommittee to resist the temptation to apply such 

 an approach to the Gulf and Pacific Coasts. Other innovative coop- 

 erative fishery programs will be needed in those areas, and we 

 would be very pleased to work with the Subcommittee on the spe- 

 cific concerns of those areas. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman — happy to provide comments. 



