Ranking Member DeFazio Responds to the Draft of the Magnuson Stevens Act

WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Peter DeFazio released the following statement on the the draft of Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act:

“Having not previously seen or been consulted on the legislation, I cannot meaningfully comment on the details at this point. However, I do know that most of the stakeholders who have testified before the Committee this year believe that the Magnuson-Stevens Act is working, and that wholesale changes or a total overhaul aren’t necessary. We don’t need to go back to the bad old days of boom and bust and the depletion of many stocks that still have not recovered. I hope this draft reflects that sentiment, and that my Republican colleagues intend to work together, with the Democrats, to make common sense improvements to the Act, not gut it. As I have said repeatedly, this doesn’t need to be a partisan issue.”