180 



Congressman Don Young has recognized the need for 

 developing adequate biological information on marine ecosystem 



[A] lot of what is made decision wise is made 

 without any real factual biological base. If 

 there is anything we can do [it] is to get more 

 of a network of scientists to understand this 

 problem, out my mouth it sounds very strange, 

 the ecosystem. But unfortunately we base a lot 

 of our decisions on our individual [area], 

 maybe longliners, purse seiners or gillnetters 

 or whatever it is, without any real knowledge. 6 



With regard to the Bering Sea, President Clinton recently 



noted: 



The Bering Sea, off the coast of Alaska, is one 

 the Earth's most biologically productive marine 

 ecosystems. Its fish and shellfish provide 10 

 percent of the world's commercial catch and 

 feed many of the people of Asia and North 

 America. To ensure that these and all other 

 natural resources will be available for our 

 descendants, we must carefully manage this 

 richly endowed region. The difficult task of 

 protecting the pollution-sensitive Arctic 

 relies on careful scientific monitoring and 

 . . . international cooperation. 7 



It is in this vein that the proposal set forth by the City and 



Coalition carries these themes forward. 



B jfagnugaB Fishery Conservation and Management Act Reauthorlzation- 

 Part II; Hearings on Reauthorization of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation 

 and Management Act to Ensure the Survival of Our Fishing Industry and Our 

 Coastal Communities Before the House Comm. on Merchant Marine and 

 Fisheries . 103rd Cong., 1st Sess. 45 (1993) (statement of Rep. Don Young, 

 U.S. Rep. from Alaska, and ranking minority member, House Subcomm. on 

 Fisheries Management). 



7 Letter from President Clinton to the International Symposium on the 

 Ecological Effects of Arctic Airborne Contaminants (September 27, 1993). 



(196S3-0001/DA94O59O 060] 



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