have watched stocks decline, despite their own personal sacrifices 

 to conserve them. 



Faced with a similar crisis in 1984, we produced the Striped Bass 

 Conservation Act. Through sound management, State and Federal 

 cooperation, and strong support from commercial and recreational 

 fishermen alike, that Act appears to have saved the striper and put 

 it well on the road to recovery. Today, fisheries like weakfish and 

 summer flounder may actually be in worse shape than the striper 

 was in 1984, and we must use the successful formula of the Striped 

 Bass Act to bring about the recovery of these stocks as well. 



H.R. 2134 authorizes a cooperative effort between the States and 

 the Federal Government to ensure that everyone does their fair 

 share in conserving these species. The responsibility for managing 

 coastal fisheries will, as it should, continue to rest with the States 

 and the Commission, not with the Congress or the Federal agen- 

 cies. The bill authorizes a Federal role that will make the job of 

 managing the fisheries easier by providing funds for research and 

 by making the resources of the Federal Government available, if 

 needed, to help enforce Commission rules. 



Last year, this Committee approved legislation concerning the 

 conservation of the weakfish. While I supported that bill, I said at 

 the time that I would prefer to enact legislation that addresses the 

 needs of all our coastal fisheries. I believe this bill is a significant 

 improvement over last year's effort, and I want to commend 

 those — many of whom are here today — who contributed their time 

 and effort in the drafting of the legislation. I thank you, and I look 

 forward to working with all of you in the coming weeks to move 

 this bill quickly through the legislative process. 



Mr. Studds. Are there opening statements? The gentleman from 

 South Carolina. 



STATEMENT OF HON. ARTHUR RAVENEL, A U.S. 

 REPRESENTATIVE FROM SOUTH CAROLINA 



Mr. Ravenel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to wel- 

 come the representatives from South Carolina here to this hearing 

 today, and I would like to read Mr. Fields' short statement. 



'T would like to thank you for calling this hearing on H.R. 2134, 

 a bill designed to improve the management of interjurisdictional 

 fisheries on the Atlantic Coast. Ordinarily, fish stocks are managed 

 by Regional Fishery Management Councils and the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, or State fishery management agencies 

 for coastal fisheries. 



"In an effort to coordinate all of the State laws and Federal regu- 

 lations that manage fish which migrate between various State and 

 Federal waters, interstate fisheries management commissions have 

 been established to develop and implement management plans for 

 these stocks. Nevertheless, the question arises whether these ef- 

 forts have effectively managed certain fish stocks on the East 

 Coast." 



And I also have a statement here by Mr. Young from Alaska, 

 and I would ask that both statements be entered into the record. 



Mr. Studds. Without objection. 



[Statement of Mr. Young follows:] 



