Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I am disappointed to see this amendment back again after it failed to pass in committee. I understand that recreational fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico want to be able to keep more of the red snapper they catch, but the solution is not to steal fish from a responsibly managed and accountable commercial sector that provides millions of Americans the opportunity to choose healthy, fresh, sustainable Gulf red snapper at stores and restaurants; nor is it the solution to hand management over to Gulf States before they have developed a plan for managing the resource that consists of more than just ``trust us.'' Simple arithmetic shows that there are too many people putting too much pressure on the red snapper stock just to sustain a recreational fishing season that lasts for more than a few days. To address that problem, private boat anglers will need to present creative solutions such as those that the commercial and charter for hire sectors have developed. NOAA is doing an incredible job rebuilding this stock under Magnuson, and the Gulf Council has the ability to debate and adopt a regional management approach or other alternative management strategies without interference from Washington. I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.”