LITTLE EGG HARBOR — Reforming federal fisheries management law in 2006 helped end overfishing on most species, but the recreational and commercial fishing industries see few benefits from that success and are still losing jobs, industry advocates said in a roundtable meeting with Rep. Jon Runyan, R-N.J.
“The pinpoint focus for us would be to reform Magnuson so we can have access to rebuilt (fish) stocks,” said Jim Donofrio of the Recreational Fishermen’s Alliance, referring to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Magnuson Act.
In his first term as a freshman in the House of Representative, Runyan dove into the battle between fishermen and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over how the Magnuson-Stevens act is administered.
While a lot of fish populations have rebounded, catches are still restricted because the 2006 Magnuson-Stevens reforms mandated very conservative limits – advocated by conservation groups who said regional management councils in the past have too freely given fishermen higher limits, before fish populations could handle that pressure.
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