This laws impact on managing our nations fisheries, its successes to date and possibly areas of improvement. The committee has already announced a field hearing in alaska later this month and i look forward to hearing from stakeholders at additional hearings throughout the country this fall. I would like to first welcome both of our witnesses, dr. John quinn, the chair of the Council Coordination committee, the ccc, and mr. Chris oliver, noaas assistant administrator for fisheries. The last reauthorization of msa was 11 years ago and it created the ccc. The ccc has the leadership of eight Regional Councils to discuss areas of common interest and im pleased to have dr. Quinn here today to discuss consensus views of the eight counsels on the msa reauthorization. Im also pleased to introduce chris oliver, firstever alaska on the hold the position of the assistant administrator for fisheries before becoming director, chris spent 27 years working at the North PacificFisheries Management council the last 17 as its executive director. As an alaskan, we are thrilled to have you in this important position. Based on his work at the gulf of mexico and his extensive experience overseeing the largest and bestmanaged fishery in the country i have confidence that under his leadership alaska and americas interests will be well represented and the concerns and perspectives of commercial charter recreational fishermen alike will be valued. For so many alaskans and their families around so many throughout the country fishing is a way of life. As i mentioned at this Committee Many times, our fisheries are by far the largest in the nation. Id like to say alaska is the superpower of seafood, constituting over 50, almost close to 60 of all domestic landings in the country and tens of thousands of jobs. In many communities our fisheries are the backbone of their economy. Its my intention to ensure the next msa reauthorization guarantees continued strong coastal communities not only in alaska but throughout the country. As Congress Considers whether or not the msa is in need of changes, its important that we simply not rest on previous gains. In the last time since the msa was authorized, technology has rapidly advanced, yet legislation able to support that technology has not, specifically as it relates to Data Collection, stock assessments and other analytical tools to help improve the accuracy of fish stock information. Better understanding the health of the stocks and how technology can assist in that regard as well as reducing administrative burdens on our fishing industry are topics ripe for discussion and possible elements of a reauthorization. In addition, as we continue to responsibly manage the fishery resources across the United States, we must ensure our nations Fisheries Management system supports a stable food supply, recreational opportunities and plentiful fishing and processing jobs that provide for vibrant coastal communities. With that, i want to thank witnesses again for being here. I recognize the Ranking Member for any Opening Statement he may have. Senator peters . Well, thank you, mr. Chairman, and thanks to our witnesses for being here this morning to discuss the important issue of reauthorizing magnussonstevens act. As you know, the original 1976 act helped reduce exploitive fishing by foreign fleets in u. S. Water and protect our countrys important fishery resources. Since that time, we have come to understand the importance of sustainably managing our fisheries and preserving these incredibly important natural resources. The most recent authorizations have successfully rebuilt several fish populations to healthy sustainable levels to the benefit of coastal communities. But we still have overfishing and overfished populations and we should always seek out ways to improve the Management Systems that we create. The need to determine what is working, what needs improvement and ways to improve fishery management is why we are all here today. I regret that i cant spend as much time at this hearing as i would like due to a scheduling conflict but thats why we have a hearing record and i look forward to learning what our expert witnesses have to share with us. Michigan, like much of the rest of the country is full of hunters and anglers. Every year, nearly 1. 8 million anglers fish on the great lakes and there are roughly 1900 charter boats operating there. This active di is estimated to have a 7 billion impact on the surrounding economy and directly supports about 50,000 jobs. While we michiganers are typically targeting wall eye, trout perch and muskies, there are many of us who travel to states like florida and alaska to enjoy salt Water Fishing opportunities. Michigan also has a very robust marine Product Manufacturing industry that depends on vibrant coastal communities and wellmanaged federal fisheries. Finally, michigan, like much of the rest of the country is full of seafood lovers. We want to be assured that the fin fish and shellfish that we purchase at markets and in restaurants, much of which comes from states like alaska and florida, is imported or is imported from other countries is responsibly harvested. So how we manage our federal fisheries matters to the folks in michigan. What we do about the scourge of illegal unreported or unregulated fishing occurring in the waters of other countries and on the high seas also matters a great deal to us. Conserving these resources through Sustainable Management so they can continue to support the businesses and communities that rely on them matters to folks in michigan e. Key to Sustainable Management is making sure we are using sciencedriven process. Fisheries management is complex and needs to account for the interactions between different species, between species and their habitat. Understanding those many interactions takes a lot of study and a lot of data which requires a lot of monitoring. It is important to look for ways to leverage developments in technology and science to do the critical job of managing our federal fisheries better. Only by gathering and utilizing all of the environmental information necessary can we understand the ocean, the coastal ecosystems that provide us with this important and delicious natural resource. Mr. Chairman, i also want to mention that while i understand that most fresh Water Fishery issues are not within the purview of this committee, i have introduced a bill called the Great Lakes FisheryResearch Authorization actover 2017. This legislation, which was referred to the committee on environment and public works will solidify the scientific basis upon which fisheries in the great lakes are managed by augmenting current data methods and utilizing new cuttingedge technologies. Its my hope that as part of this important msa reauthorization process we might have some cross pollenization of ideas and approaches to conservation and management between Great Lakes Fisheries and federal salt water fisheries. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator peters. Now i ask senator nelson, the Ranking Member of the commerce committee, if hed like to make an Opening Statement as well. Thank you, mr. Chairman, just a couple of comments. One of the great things about this committee is the broad jurisdiction that it has in areas that are so important to the country as a whole. You think about this. The 1970s, theres senator magnussen from washington, theres senator stephens from alaska and they knew that there was a problem in new england, in senator markeys area, because it was getting overfished so they set about to do something about it and thats more than three decades ago and we are the beneficiaries of that kind of bipartisan effort, clearly, mr. Chairman, your state of alaska is one of the most fertile fisheries around. By the way, thats one of the reasons we have one of the most Important Reasons of why we have the u. S. Coast guard up there. It not only is given the task from the United States navy of protecting our National Protect that big, big fishing fleet. And then as its interesting that the members of the committee we have a number of members that represent landlocked states. They dont have a direct outlet to the ocean yes, you are the great lakes. But yet they participate and understand the importance of the magnussen stephens act and so thank you for having this hearing and, of course, my state, when it comes to down right recreational, charter boats as well as commercial fishing, were known as the capital of the fishing world. And i can speak that sounds more impressive than the superpower of seafood. [ laughter ] and i can speak for senator wicker that there is a great deal that comes from the livelihoods of the people along the gulf and, of course, in the case of the atlantic when senator markey comes back all up and down the atlantic that comes from the commercial fishing. The gulf is such an important resource and of all types and we know that we have to protect it. Interestingly, also, the gulf happens to be off of florida, the largest testing and Training Range for the United States military in the world and so we have for our National Security sake like wide reasons to protect that gulf. Ill just close by saying that one of the greatest challenges that i saw was when five Million Barrels of oil were spilled in the gulf and. That immediately affected the livelihoods of a lot of people, not only in the fishing industry but also it cut out an entire season of our Tourism Industry on the gulf coast because people thought that the beaches were covered with oil. It is a unique environment and this committee is particularly suited to protect this kind of ocean environment. So i am very grateful that youre bringing up for discussion the magnussen stephens act. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator nelson. I want to again welcome our witnesses today, mr. Chris oliver, assistant administrator for the National Marine fisheries service, nmfs. I want to exprison my appreciation to secretary ross for the selection of chris. Dr. John quinn, the chair of the Council Coordination committee in northeast Fisheries Management council. You will each have five minutes to deliver an oral statement, a longer written statement will be included in the record if you so desire. Mr. Oliver, the floor is yours. Is that on . Thank you for the dunt to testify today. I participated in both the 1996 and 2006 reauthorization processes in my previous role and while im wearing a different hat today and this administration has yet to take formal position on specific issues, my fundamental perspectives remain built upon the success of the act as evidenced by Sustainable Management in the North Pacific fisheries and the successes weve achieved in fisheries across the United States. I would like to describe some of the agencys successes under the act but i want to focus on some of the challenges that remain. The act has been an outstanding success, in partnership with the councils, commissions and other stakeholders, weve effectively ended overfishing in this country and are rebuilding fish stocks across the board, thereby ensuring a sustainable supply of seafood for the nation in the future. The magnussenstephens act created broad goals for u. S. Fisheries in the a unique structure centered around Regional Councils. I can attest to the value of that system which encourages a collaborative bottomup process where input and decisions include fishermen, other fishery stakeholders, affected states, tribes and the federal government. Working together fishermen scientists and managers brought back numerous resources in fisheries across our country. Im proud of the accomplishment ins alaska where our approaches have led them to be widely recognized as one of the most successfully managed fisheries in the world yet we have challenges remaining. As an example, while our west coast ground fish species are have built several important stocks, in recent years, fishermen are leaving significant portions of the available harvest in the water due to outdated regulations and also by catch constraints. We have to find ways to maximize the allowable harvest in our fisheries but do so within our overall longterm conservation goals. I think this is a case for some of our commercial fisheries and Recreational Fisheries as well. Salt water reck dre united nationsal fishing is among the nations favorite past times and a major contributor to the economies at all levels. We are pleased to announce we are partnering with the Atlantic States marines Fisheries Commission to hold a summit in march of 2018. While annual catch limits are a cornerstone of Sustainable Management, we have to recognize that managing under acls and accountability measure has been a major change and new challenge for many fisheries and thats the case for commercial as well as correRecreational Fisheries our management goals may differ from commercial fisheries. Additional flexibility in how we apply those Accountability Measures and annual catch limits as well as rebuilding schedules could expand our collective tool box and our ability to address issues which have been raised in reauthorization discussions. I can assure you we stand ready to assist in any way we can as those approaches are being considered. Americas seafood industry sets a global standard for sustainability. However the majority of seafood we consume is imported. While there are some opportunities to enhance wild stock harvest, we believe significant head room lies in expanded aqua culture production and we are making marine Aqua Culture Development a renewed Priority Development within the agency through operational and budgetary incentives. Coordination of the regulatory and permitting process is a key area where we can be more effective. With more efficient regulation of our wild stock fisheries, we can position the nation to make inroads on the seafood deficit. The current act works very well for most fisheries, however, i believe there are opportunities to provide additional flexibility to allow us to more effectively manage those fisheries, particularly those that have different catch accounting challenges or could benefit generally from alternative management approaches. Although challenges remain in some of those fisheries in the near term, overall the benefits for the resources, the industries it supports and our economy in general can be realized as fish populations grow and catch limits increase in the longer term. In that sense i believe we can have it both ways. I believe that we can maximize opportunities take opportunities to maximize our domestic harvest potential without compromising the longterm sustainability of the resources we manage. I and noaa fisheries are committed to working with congress throughout this reauthorization process to achieve just that goal. And that really concludes my opening comments, mr. Chairman, and, again i know there will be questions and ill be happy to try to answer them. Thank you director oliver, dr. Quinn . Thank you very much, chairman sullivan and Ranking Member peters, my name is john quinn and im here to testify on behalf of the council coordinating committee. By way of background, im the director of Public Interest law programs at the university of Massachusetts School of law in dartmouth which is right next door to the port of new bedford, one of the leading fishing ports in the nation. Ive been involved in tischrys issues for the last 30 years as a lawyer, a state legislator and for the last five years as a member of the new england Fisheries Management council. Commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries are key contributors to our nations economy. The councils are the cornerstone of the regional system created by the act and as a group we are strong believers in its benefits. Today ill highlight a few issues detailed in my written statement grouping the three themes a need for management flexibility, the importance of our public process and a need for adequate resources, ill begin with management flexibility. The wide variety of fisheries in our country means no single solution to management challenges will work in all cases. Our strategy should be to create a flexibility Legal Framework that allows for a wide range of management solutions. This is particularly true when it comes to promoting Sustainable Fisheries. To that end, the act requires a stock in Poor Condition must be rebuilt within 10 years. This arbitrary timeline can cause problems. Imagine every homeowner could only choose a tenyear mortgage when purchasing a home. Well, that would work for some, it would not work for all. I want to make it clear that we do not seek el