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concentrations of the target species. This means lost fishing 

 opportunities for conscientious fishermen who work to minimize 

 bycatch by sacrificing fishing time to change fishing locations. 

 Some argue that various fishing technologies result in unacceptable 

 levels of bycatch, or even discards of target species. However, 

 the culprit is an open access regulatory system that provides 

 economic incentives for wasteful fishing practices. 



Parenthetically, let me add that Committee should be aware of 

 and override regulations that mandate waste in the fisheries. The 

 most egregious example is the prohibition on retention of halibut, 

 herring, and salmon by trawl vessels. Oftentimes, trawl vessel 

 operators are criticized for throwing away these species, when, in 

 fact, retaining these fish is a violation of the law. 



No doubt Congress will extensively review the issue of limited 

 access, including XTQs, during the Magnuson Act reauthorization 

 process. Arctic Alaska requests that the Merchant Marine Committee 

 promote rationalization of the Pacific and North Pacific fisheries 

 through promotion of an ITQ program. A market-based management 

 system will help avoid the fractious allocation disputes involving 

 various industry sectors, will have positive conservation benefits, 

 and will provide economic and social stability. 



2. Restoring Credibility to and Improving Management of the 

 Regional Fishery Management Council Process. 



Since the Act was reauthorized three years ago, a great deal 

 of attention has been focused on the conduct of regional fishery 

 management council members and the regional council process. In 



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