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regarding reauthorization of the Act. 



In general, we believe the fishery management system that is 

 outlined in the Act is a good one. When it functions properly it 

 is probably the best system in the world. Some interest groups 

 have suggested that the Act requires major changes if our 

 nation's fisheries are to survive into the future. This view 

 seems to be held most often by newcomers to the process. Those 

 of us who were pioneers in the industry have developed confidence 

 in the Act. Having watched this system operate for many years, 

 we have come to see that most problems stem from the frailties of 

 human nature, rather than flaws in the legislation. Nonetheless, 

 the structure isn't perfect, and we have some suggestions to 

 offer that we believe would improve fisheries management. 



Balance of Authority 



One of the aspects of the Act we like best is the regional 

 fishery management council system. We think the current balance 

 of authority between the Secretary of Commerce and the councils 

 is appropriate and should not be changed. Because the councils 

 are composed of human beings, they are not infallible and do not 

 invariably make decisions that are in the overall best interest 

 of the resource or the nation. For this reason we want the 

 Secretary to continue to have the ability to reject or partially 

 reject council actions. On the other hand, we think local 

 concerns can usually be resolved best where they occur, so we 

 would not want the Secretary to be allowed to substitute his or 

 her judgement for that of the councils. This check-and-balance 

 system can work well, and we support retaining its present form. 



Conflicts of Interest 



Despite the fact that the Act assumes council members will 

 have conflicts of interest, there is a growing public perception 

 that these conflicts are interfering with adequate fishery 

 management. We think the problem is largely one of perception 

 rather than reality. We have several proposals to offer that may 

 correct this problem. 



