67 



SJM 21 



1 15 to award the majority of the whiting catch to large, Puget Sound-based factory trawlers, thereby 



2 prompting speculation that the department's motives were arbitrary and capricious and not con- 



3 sistent with the economic, biological and other data developed by its own subordinate agencies; now, 



4 therefore, 



5 Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon: 



6 That the Legislative Assembly strongly urges the President and the Congress of the United 

 V States to take the following actions: 



8 (1) The President and Congress of the United States should demand that the Department of 



9 Commerce adequately explain the basis for its decision, reconsidering as necessary the data supplied 



10 by its subordinate agencies and setting forth the points of disagreement that led to its decision not 



11 to accept the recommendations of thqpe agencies. 



12 (2) The Congress of the United States, acting through the authority of the General Accounting 



13 Office and such other investigatory agencies as it deems necessary and proper, should immediately 



14 conduct an inquiry into the procedures, rules, internal guidelines and policies of the Department of 



15 Commerce as they apply to its fisheries management decisions and to its interpretation of the 



16 Magnuson Fishery Management Conservation Act, with particular emphasis on the role of scientific 



17 and economic evidence developed in the records of subordinate agencies and the role of the 



18 Fisheries Management Plan the department commissioned and approved. 



19 (3) The Congress of the United States should convene a hearing in the State of Oregon, with the 



20 presence and participation of the Secretary of Commerce, by the House Merchant Marine and 



21 Fisheries Committee's Subcommittee on Fishery Management for the purpose of taking testimony 



22 as to the effect the department's decision has had on the whiting industry and on coastal commu- 



23 nities and families dependent on that industry. Following such a hearing, the subcommittee should 



24 issue findings respecting the evidence it hears and make recommendations concerning the estab- 



25 lishment of a proper working relationship between the industry, the local and regional management 



26 agencies, and the department that will ensure that future management decisions will comply with 



27 the spirit and intent of the Fishery Management Plan and the Magnuson Act. 



28 Copies of this memorial shall be sent to the President, to each member of the United States 



29 Senate and House of Representatives, and the Secretary of Commerce. 



30 



[2] 



