Assembly Joint Resolution
No. 66
CHAPTER 148
Relative to fishery management.
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Filed with
Secretary of State
September 19, 2008.
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LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AJR 66, Brownley.
Fishery management.
This measure would express the support of the California Legislature for efforts by the National Marine Fishery Service under the reauthorized federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to strengthen National Standard 1 fishery management guidelines under the federal act, and would memorialize the Pacific Fishery Management Council to adhere to specified fishery management principles so as to protect and enhance fisheries offshore of California’s special coast.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
NO WHEREAS, The world’s oceans and its creatures are affected by numerous threats such as coastal pollution, dead zones, habitat destruction on land and in the seas, global warming, ocean acidification, marine debris, toxic substances, and overfishing; and
WHEREAS, Many of these threats affect the Pacific Ocean off of California’s coast; and
WHEREAS, Millions of Californians use the state’s beaches and the Pacific Ocean every year for their recreation. In addition, each year an estimated three quarters of a million state residents spend over 7 million days each year fishing in the ocean, supporting a projected 27,000 jobs; and
WHEREAS, Coastal fishing, the communities and the people it supports, and the seafood it produces have all shaped the culture of California for generations. Dungeness crab, salmon, rockfish sole, sea urchin, abalone, oysters, anchovy, herring, halibut, squid, and sardines have been part of the fabric of coastal communities from San Diego to Crescent City for years. Commercial fishing in California now generates some $130 million per year of direct sales, and several times that dollar amount if fish processing, wholesale sales, and retail sales are included; and
WHEREAS, The State of California is charting the course for the nation in sustainable fisheries and protection of our ocean environment, through both the Marine Life Management Act of 1998 (Chapter 1052 of the Statutes of 1998) and the Marine Life Protection Act (Chapter 10.5 (commencing with Section 2850) of Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code), by establishing ecosystem-based fishery management plans and a network of marine reserves; and
WHEREAS, The health of our ocean and the health of much of its fish and other living marine resources have declined as a direct result of pollution, habitat destruction, and overfishing. Overfishing remains a problem in many parts of the nation, and, if left unchecked, diminishes the abundance and diversity of fish and other marine animals, reduces opportunities for recreational fishing, reduces the values of commercial fisheries, reduces the amount of locally caught fish and shellfish available to consumers, creates a greater dependence on foreign imports, and significantly diminishes state and federal investment in marines sanctuaries and reserves; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature of California supports efforts by the National Marine Fishery Service under the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1801 et seq., as amended) to strengthen National Standard 1 fishery management guidelines under the federal act to achieve all of the following:
(a) The independent science committees on each fishery management council, including the Pacific Fishery Management Council, should set science based annual catch limits that incorporate a precautionary approach or buffers to ensure that the annual catch consistently remains below the level that would cause overfishing.
(b) The fishery management councils
should create clear, equitable, and consistent accountability measures that keep fish stocks healthy if annual catch limits are exceeded.
(c) Data from each fishery should be collected as soon as possible after landing, because accurate, timely reporting, and aggregation of total catch from all sectors, including recreational, charter, and commercial, is a key building block of any successful management and accountability system.
(d) The environmental review process should include alternatives that the public has been able to propose and comment on and an opportunity for the public’s comments to be a part of decisionmaking without arbitrary restrictions; and be it further
Resolved, That the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which advises the federal government on fisheries off the coast of California, is respectfully requested to adhere to the fishery management principles described above so as to protect and enhance fisheries off of California’s special coast; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.