Tierney sets talks on fisheries here with House panel chief

The federal disaster aid to fishermen and industry stakeholders is in the pipeline, and now much of the industry’s attention — here and across the rest of the coastal United States — has turned to the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act that regulates the nation’s fisheries.

With that in mind, U.S. Rep. John Tierney is hosting a special listening session Tuesday in Gloucester on the commercial fishing industry, and he’s bringing with him the ranking member of the House committee with jurisdiction over the reauthorization of Magnuson-Stevens.

Tierney and Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio, the senior Democrat and a ranking member on the House Committee on Natural Resources, are scheduled to meet with commercial fishermen, industry stakeholders and others in Kyrouz Auditorium at City Hall to hear their thoughts and concerns with the current state of the fishery.

The session is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and run about an hour.

“I continue to work closely with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on reauthorizing this important law,” Tierney wrote in the invitation that has gone out for the event. “I look forward to hearing your perspective on what a reformed Magnuson-Stevens Act would do for Gloucester and the fisheries of the northeast.”

In the House, the reauthorization bill is titled, “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.” The full Natural Resources committee began considering the bill in late May.

“The debate today isn’t just about the use of a natural resource — it is about providing a sustainable source of protein, as well as providing economic vitality to coastal communities,” Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said just before the full committee began considering the legislation. “While the act is working, it does not work equally well across the country. This indicates that some regions may need a certain amount of flexibility to address their challenges.”