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plans, but only the striped bass plan was implemented by all 

 coastal states. When Maryland closed its shad fisheries in 1980, 

 new commercial fisheries were developing in the ocean to take their 

 place. These fisheries, known as "intercept" fisheries because 

 they capture shad on their way to their spawning rivers, are now 

 found in most Atlantic Coast states in spite of the fact that they 

 are discouraged by the ASMFC shad plan. The net effect is that an 

 individual state is helpless to restore its traditional inshore 

 fisheries. 



In contrast, because of uniform compliance with its management 

 plan, the striped bass is now well on its way to recovery and, even 

 under strict harvest limits, is providing a much needed economic 

 shot in the arm to our commercial and recreational fisheries. This 

 success is a direct result of the Atlantic Striped Bass 

 Conservation Act of 1984 which provided an incentive for states' 

 compliance with coastal management plans. This relatively simple 

 approach has proven itself, and it is time to apply it to other 

 species. 



The legislation before you has evolved from the striped bass 

 experience as well as from two years of deliberations on similar 

 bills and countless discussions among interested parties. This 

 bill, the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act of 

 1993, is well developed and may only need minimal refinement. It 

 has our full support in concept, and we urge swift passage. As you 

 deliberate specific parts of the bill please consider the following 

 points which are priorities from our point of view: 



1) The time frame for implementation by the states of ASMFC 

 plans should be as short as practicable; we support the one 

 year interval in the current version. 



2) Added urgency for implementation should be placed on summer 

 flounder as well as weakfish. 



3) The Secretarial review of non-compliance should be done 

 jointly by the Secretaries of Commerce and Interior. 



That concludes my remarks. Thank-you for the opportunity to 

 comment on this very important legislation. 



