Rob Bishop: “This bill is the result of more than 6 years of work with commercial and recreational fishing groups, the seafood…”

“This bill is the result of more than 6 years of work with commercial and recreational fishing groups, the seafood industry, coastal communities, and both sides of the aisle. It is a bipartisan bill that codifies the Obama-era guidelines and provides flexibility for fishery managers. It is a good bill, but I do want to address some of the inconsistencies that have been circulated by Members or NGOs. At least let me hit some of the most gross inaccuracies. In dissenting views, it was written that: Don Young agreed to work with Democratic Members and the staff to develop a bipartisan bill. Unfortunately, Chairman Bishop pulled the plug on promising negotiations and rushed to markup with a half-baked mash-up of bad ideas. This bill was a year in negotiation. Our efforts of trying to put numerous provisions on the table and accepting additional Democratic provisions were simply labeled as nonstarters. Every time Mr. Young agreed to a change, another issue came up. It is a perfect example of Lucy pulling the ball out from under Charlie Brown. Mr. Young is Charlie Brown. Mr. Chair, I am appreciative, though, of certain off-committee Democrats who jumped at the opportunity to compromise. I especially want to thank Mr. Veasey and Mr. Green for their willingness to work across the aisle and assist with cosponsoring this particular bill. Opponents of this bill said there is no science; that it is being taken out of the management decisions.…”