Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I understand the intent of my good friend's amendment, but I reluctantly oppose it. The amendment would begin to unravel, I believe, this council's structure that was made in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the gold standard of global fisheries management. At best, it erodes MSA's emphasis on regional management. Fish stocks migrate up and down the Atlantic coast frequently incorporated in a prospective of States invested in shared fishery resources, a goal we all share. That is why Congress authorized the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and why my bill before us today creates a liaison between the Mid-Atlantic Council and the New England Council and vice versa. These two mechanisms adequately address overlapping Atlantic coast fisheries without undermining the fundamental council structure. Mr. Chairman, reluctantly, for those reasons, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.”