259 



1MIRICAN 

 AS 



ASSOCIATION 



RESPONSE BY KATB GRAHAM 



TO THI QUESTION FOR THE RECORD 



SUBMITTED BY CONOHESSWOMAN MARIA CAKTWBLL 



COMMITTEE OH MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES 

 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



Portland, Oregon 

 10 August 1993 



Questioni Are the nation's fishery r«suurca» the property of 

 the commons'? 



Management of a Common Property RfJflWtta 



Our nation's fisheries era indeed a common property resource. 

 It is therefore the duty of our federal government to manage these 

 resources for the greatest benefit of our nation as a whole. 



Whan writing the Magnuson Act, Congress determined that our 

 resources would be managed most effectively hy drawing on rh* know- 

 ledge and experience of people in the regions near the fisheries. 

 Regional fishery councils were created to make management recommen- 

 dations to the Secretary of Commerce, who retains the final 

 decision -making authority. Under council management, Vest Coaat 

 fish stocks are generally healthy. This unique management regime 

 has been in effect for a relatively brief period and the successes 

 Already outweigh the failures. Our association supports the 

 council process and continuation of the present balance; of author- 

 ity between tb« Secretary and the councils. 



Qouncil Membership 



It has been suggested that councils should have fewer active 

 participants in the fishing industry than at present. In their 

 place, some propose appointing individuals such as scientists and 

 environmentalists who ere knowledgeable about, but have no finan- 

 cial interest in, the fisheries. Financial interests, however, 

 come in many forms, not all of which are immediately apparent. For 

 instance, fishery scientists often work for entitles, such as uni- 

 versities, that depend on funding from various interest groups to 

 carry out research programs. Environmental groups often base their 

 fund- raising: campaigns on flsnerles Issues. These financial 

 interests are no leas reel then those of commercial or recreational 

 fishermen. 



An alternative that hae been proposed is to appoint council 



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