News Service June 11, 2003

Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) disputes fisheries study

Date: June 5, 2003

Issue: Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Resources, yesterday criticized the Pew Oceans Commission study that claims a new federal agency is needed to administer U.S. fishing laws and curb harmful fishing practices.  Rep. Pombo criticized the report funded by Pew Charitable Trusts, one of the largest donors to environmental groups, as simply calling for "bigger government and more regulation."

Rep. Pombo pointed out that Congress passed the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 1996 to identify problems in fisheries management and establish regional councils to address problems such as rebuilding over-fished areas and protection of important habitats.  Congress also established a Commission on Ocean Policy which is expected to issue a report this fall.

Comment 1: Why do we need another government agency when we already have the National Marine Fisheries Service?  Current bills already deal with the problem of maintaining healthy stocks of fisheries in our waters.  Another federal agency would be counter-productive.

Comment 2: The regional fishing councils are already making progress in the sustainability of our fishing industry.  The fishing industry has a vested interest in keeping the fisheries healthy and sustainable‹more than a government bureaucrat in Washington.

Background and links:  Chairman Pombo said, "Everyone wants to work towards better management.  Better management means better protection, increased sustainability and better yields for our fishermen.  That is why Congress has continued to increase funding for more science, more stock assessments and more cooperative research."

The report criticized large trawlers who scour the ocean bottom for fish and often discard the smaller or unpopular fish caught in the nets.  It calls for a moratorium on trawling in areas that have not yet been fished and establishing marine reserves where all types of fishing would be banned.  The commission was headed by Leon Panetta, former chief of staff for President Clinton.  The report can be found at www.pewoceans.org

Pew Charitable Trusts, which funded the report, gave $36.6 million in 2001 to various so-called environmental groups including EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund, Wilderness Society, National Environmental Trust, Tides Center,  U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), World Wildlife Fund, Union of Concerned Scientists, Friends of the Earth and American Rivers.

Gretchen Randall
Winningreen LLC
3712 N. Broadway ­ PMB 279
Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: 773-857-5086
e-mail: grandall@winningreen.com