40 



ic values these families depend upon. And the Magnuson Act needs 

 to encompass the social and economic values of all seafood partici- 

 pants. It is imperative this national resource benefit our entire 

 Nation without compromising the conservation and sound manage- 

 ment practices of our fisheries. 



Mr. Chairman, Congresswomen and Congressmen, staff, thank 

 you for the opportunity. 



[The statement of Mr. Dulcich may be found at end of hearing.] 



Mr. Manton. Thank you, Mr. Dulcich. 



Our next witness, Ms. Kate Graham. 



STATEMENT OF KATE GRAHAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

 AMERICAN HIGH SEAS FISHERIES ASSOCIATION 



Ms. Graham. Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I am 

 Kate Graham, Executive Director of American High Seas Fisheries 

 Association. We are a group of traditional trawl catcher vessels, ho- 

 meported in all four West Coast States, who participate in numer- 

 ous groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska and 

 along the Pacific Coast. We don't process the fish we catch but in- 

 stead sell them both to shorebased and to floating processors. We 

 were part of the joint venture fleet that pioneered the harvesting 

 of groundfish all along the West Coast. 



We are proud of the part we played in achieving the original 

 goal of the Magnuson Act, the Americanization of our Nation's 

 fisheries. The Magnuson Act is the cornerstone of our industry, 

 and we. are pleased to have the opportunity to address the commit- 

 tee today regarding reauthorization of the Act. 



My written statement contains our views on such issues as the 

 balance of authority between the Secretary and the councils, con- 

 flicts of interest, council composition, and additional tools that 

 might be useful in managing our fisheries. It also has a section on 

 conservation measures, and I would like to use my time today to 

 address that topic in more detail. 



American High Seas has always been a strong advocate for the 

 conservative management of our fisheries. For us, fishing isn't just 

 a business venture, it is a way of life, and we want our children to 

 have the same opportunities that we have had. It is significant to 

 those of us who were pioneers in the industry that the Magnuson 

 Act emphasizes resource conservation. 



The problem is that it simply isn't possible to protect our re- 

 sources effectively as long as we continue to use the Olympic 

 system, which is the management regime that is the basis for most 

 of our commercial fisheries. The Olympic system spawns a race for 

 fish, a contest to see who can catch the most, the fastest. The result 

 is our industry's dismal safety record and overcapitalization in 

 both harvesting and processing capacity nationwide. 



It is also the root of our conservation problems. The Olympic 

 system actually discourages the reduction of bycatch of non-target 

 species and at times even provides an incentive to discard target 

 species. There is little inducement to fish responsibly other than 

 one's own sense of what is right. 



Our association has consistently been a vigorous proponent of 

 conservation and has initiated several measures to promote it, both 



