Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolution

Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act of 2020 along with my colleague Senator Whitehouse. This legislation seeks to address a longstanding inequity in our Nation's fisheries management system which denies Rhode Islanders a voice in the governance of many stocks that local fishermen catch and rely upon for their livelihoods.

The Magnuson-Stevens Act granted Rhode Island voting membership on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), as NEFMC-managed stocks represent a significant percentage of landings and revenue for the State. However, Rhode Island has an even larger stake in Mid- Atlantic fisheries. Yet, it does not have voting representation on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), which currently consists of representatives from New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.

According to data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), between 2014 and 2108, Rhode Island accounted for approximately a quarter of the commercial landings by value from stocks under the MAFMC's sole jurisdiction, and its commercial landings were greater than the total landings of all of the states currently represented on the MAFMC with the exception of New Jersey.

As the rest of the Nation learned during the Democratic National Convention, the Rhode Island State appetizer is calamari. That is squid. And while squid is our number one landed species, Rhode Island doesn't have a formal say in the management of this stock.

This legislation offers a simple solution with sound precedent. North Carolina was added to the MAFMC through an amendment to the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 1996. Like Rhode Island, a significant portion of North Carolina's landed fish species were managed by the MAFMC, yet the State had no vote on the council. Similarly, the Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act would create two seats on the MAFMC for Rhode Island: one seat appointed by the Secretary of Commerce based on recommendations from the Governor of Rhode Island, and a second seat filled by Rhode Island's principal State official with marine fishery management responsibility. To accommodate these new members, the MAFMC would increase in size from 21 to 23 voting members. In short, Rhode Island would be guaranteed the same minimum representation as every other State on the MAFMC.

With mounting economic, ecological, and regulatory challenges, it is more important than ever that Rhode Island fishermen have a voice in the management of the fisheries they depend on.

I urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this commonsense legislation.

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