257 



Jyson 



LOUISKEMP 



SEAFOOD O 



Arctic Alaska Fisheries Corporation 1900 West Nlckenon Street. Sullc 200 ■ P.O. BOX 79021 ■ Seattle, WA 98119 • Phone (206) 282-3445 



Tyson Seafood Group 



September 20, 1993 



The Honorable Gerry E. Studds 



Chairman of The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries 



U.S. House of Representatives 



Room 1334, Longworth House Office Building 



Washington, DC 20515-6230 



RE: Question for the record from Congresswomen Maria Cantwell for the 

 Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries field hearing on the 

 reauthorization of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act. 



Dear Congressman Studds: 



Are the nations fishery resources the property of the commons? 



Yes, I believe the nation's fishery resources could be considered as property of the 

 commons just as fossil fuels, timber and federally owned lands are. However, there 

 are differences among the various resources that dictate how the government should 

 manage them to ensure long term benefits and the conservation of each resource. 



Fish, which are a renewable resource, need to be managed differently than oil, gas, 

 coal which are non-renewable resources. In the case of federal lands, the Government 

 has determined some of those lands are best utilized as grazing lands for livestock, 

 some for public recreation and other lands for timber harvesting. With respect to the 

 fishery resources within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, the management goals and 

 objectives are determined by the eight regional fishery management council under 

 authority of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act. History has 

 shown that the intense commercial development encouraged by the MFCMA has 

 created a system which is now overcapitalized, wasteful and threatens the health of the 

 resource in many areas of the nation. 



nniNf. OUR BFST...IUST FOR YOU® 



