Bill Text: NJ AR242 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges President and Congress to enact "Transparent Summer Flounder Quotas Act."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-18 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee [AR242 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-AR242-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman DAVID P. RIBLE
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Urges President and Congress to enact "Transparent Summer Flounder Quotas Act."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the President and Congress of the United States to enact the "Transparent Summer Flounder Quotas Act."
Whereas, New Jersey fisheries are ranked among the best in the nation and it is estimated that there are as many as one million recreational saltwater anglers fishing in New Jersey; and
Whereas, The fishing industry contributes 20,000 jobs and over $1 billion to the State economy each year; and
Whereas, Of the many varieties of fish found off of New Jersey's shores, summer flounder is among the most sought after saltwater fish along the Atlantic Coast; and
Whereas, Summer flounder fisheries are managed cooperatively by the states through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); and
Whereas, Together, these managing entities are responsible for developing summer flounder fishery regulations as part of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan; and
Whereas, The management plan is implemented through regulations adopted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the United States Department of Commerce; and
Whereas, The management plan is designed to ensure the protection and maintenance of the summer flounder stock, primarily through the establishment of harvest limits, which are based on the most current stock assessment report published by NOAA; and
Whereas, Based on the 2016 Stock Assessment Update, the ASMFC and MAFMC have recommended a 40 percent cut in catch limits for the 2017 and 2018 summer flounder fishing seasons; and
Whereas, Highlighting NOAA's heavy reliance on random sampling to gather data for the 2016 stock assessment report, members of the New Jersey delegation to the United States Congress have expressed concern about the accuracy of the estimates contained in the report and have questioned the need to implement such a drastic reduction in catch limits for the upcoming season; and
Whereas, The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has expressed similar concerns, warning that the drastic reduction in catch limits will devastate recreational and commercial fishing in New Jersey and have a detrimental effect on the economy of the New Jersey shore, particularly as the State continues to recover from Superstorm Sandy; and
Whereas, Despite significant opposition to the recommended reduction in summer flounder catch limits, and the potential for severe economic damage to the State, at the end of December 2016 the NMFS adopted a rule implementing the recommended reduction in summer flounder catch limits for the 2017 and 2018 fishing seasons; and
Whereas, In order to mitigate the economic devastation that may result from the reduced summer flounder quotas adopted by the NMFS, United States Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. has introduced legislation, co-sponsored by Congressman Frank LoBiondo, which would prohibit enforcement of the reduced summer flounder quotas until a new summer flounder stock assessment is completed and a new rule establishing summer flounder quotas is adopted based on the findings of the new stock assessment; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The President and Congress of the United States are respectfully urged to enact House Bill No. 1411, known as the "Transparent Summer Flounder Quotas Act."
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, the Chair of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and every member of Congress elected from the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the President and Congress of the United States to enact H.R.1411, known as the "Transparent Summer Flounder Quotas Act." If enacted, H.R.1411 would prohibit enforcement of the rule adopted in 2016 by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to reduce summer flounder harvesting quotas for the 2017 and 2018 fishing seasons, and would require continued adherence to the summer flounder quotas adopted by the NMFS in 2015 until a new summer flounder stock assessment is completed and a new rule is adopted that establishes summer flounder quotas based on the findings of the new stock assessment.
