Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop), the chairman of the full committee who allowed me to bring this outstanding bill to the floor of the House.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I include in the Record a list of supporters of this legislation. Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Coalition (115th-H.R. 200) Letters of Support Organization State of Florida; State of Mississippi; AFTCO Manufacturing Co., Inc; Banks, Inc.; Alliance Sports Group; Bass Pro Shops; American Fishing Wire/Hi-Seas; Beach Marine Products; American Tackle Company; Big Rock Sports, LLC; Anglers Journal TV; Billfish Inc.; Anglers Resource, LLC; Bluefin USA; B.A.S.S., LLC; Bob Sands Fishing Tackle; Bonnier Corporation; Brunswick Boat Group; Classic Fishing Products, Inc.; Bullet Weights, Inc. Compass 360; Cabin Creek Bait Company; Composites One; Calderone & Associates; Crappie USA, Inc.; Capt. Harry's Fishing Supply; Crook & Crook, Inc.; Careco Multimedia Entertainment LLC; Dave's Bait, Tackle & Taxidermy; Catalyst Marketing Services; DL Ventures, LLC; CB's Saltwater Outfitters; Do-It Corporation; Chris Craft; Marine Division-- Americas Dometic Corporation; Don Coffey Company; FLW, LLC; Eposeidon Outdoor Adventures, Inc.; Forest River Inc.; Etic USA; Formula Boats. F.J. Neil Company, Inc.; G-Rods International; Faria/Beede Instruments; G5 Products LLC; FISH307, LLC; GEM Products, Inc.; Fishidy, Inc.; Grady-White Boats; Fishunt Essentials, LLC; Hook & Gaff Watch Company; Fluid Motion LLC; Hook & Tackle Outfitters; iAngler Tournament Systems, LLC; Magic Tilt Trailers, Inc.; IMTRA Corporation; Malin Company; INDMAR Products; Marble, LLC; Jay's Sporting Goods; Marine Accessories Corporation; Jones & Company. Maui Jim Sunglasses; Kureha America, LLC/Seaguar; Maverick Boat Group; L & S Bait Company; Maxima USA; Lew's Fishing Tackle; MCBC Holding Inc.; Lucas Oil Products Inc.; Mercury Marine; Millers Boating Center, Inc.; Pitman Creek Wholesale; Mud Hole Custom Tackle; PRADCO-Fishing; NauticStar Boats; Pro-Troll Fishing Products; Northland Fishing Tackle, LLC; ProNav Marine; On The Water Media Group; Rapala; Outdoor Pro Shop, Inc.; Realtree Active. Outdoor.media; Red Drum Tackle Shop, Inc.; OutdoorFlics Digital Studios + Media Lab; Robalo Boats; Pacific Catch; Rockfish Sports; Rod-N-Bobb's, Inc.; Southeastern Fishing Tackle Liquidators; Rogers Sports Marketing; Southwick Associates, Inc.; Rome Specality Company, Inc.; Sport Outdoors TV; Rudow's FishTalk Magazine; Sportco Marketing, Inc.; Seasonal Marketing, Inc.; Sportsman Boats Manufacturing, Inc.; SeaStar Solutions; Springfield Marine; Shimano North American Holding, Inc; St. Croix Rods. Skeeter Boats; Stealth Products, LLC; Smoker Craft, Inc.; SteelShad Fishing Company; Strike King Lure Company; Throw Raft LLC; Syntec Industries LLC; Tim Bailey & Associates; T-H Marine Supplies, Inc.; Tom Posey Company; Tackle Warehouse; Top Brass Tackle; Temple Fork Outfitters; Trik Fish LLC; The Fisherman Magazine; TTI-Blackmore Fishing Group; The Hammond Group; Uncle Josh Bait Company; Thomas F. Gowen & Sons; Vapor Apparel. Thomas Spinning Lures, Inc.; Vectorply Corporation; Water Gremlin Company; ZEBCO Brands; Water Sports Industry Association; Zee Bait Co.; What The Fin Apparel & Purple Tuna Tees Inc.; White River Marine Group; Wholesale Buying Group; Wright & McGill Co.; Yakima Bait Company; Yamaha Marine Group; Z-Man Fishing Products, Inc.; American Scallop Association; Atlantic Red Crab Company; Atlantic Capes Fisheries; BASE Seafood; California Wetfish Producers Association; Cape Seafood. Garden State Seafood Association; Inlet Seafood; Long Island Commercial Fishing Association; Lunds Fisheries, Inc.; North Carolina Fishers Association; Rhode Island Commercial Fishermen's Alliance; Seafreeze Ltd.; Town Dock; West Coast Seafood Processors Association; Western Fishboat Owners Association; Freezer Longline Coalition; Florida Keys Commercial Fishing Association; Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance; Southeastern Fisheries Association.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman. I have no more speakers, and I am going to close by saying this is good legislation. We may have differences of opinion. It should be done. I am quite proud of the original act. I am proud of this act, too. Because I believe in the fisheries, not only commercial, and recreational, but sustainable; sustainable for the communities, the fish, and everybody in America. Mr. Chairman, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, my amendment makes a series of modifications in the underlying bill and removes specific provisions related to the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Antiquities Act, at the request of my Democrat cosponsors from Texas, Mr. Gene Green and Mr. Marc Veasey. I introduced H.R. 200 in the early days of the 115th Congress. We have made many changes during the committee markup on H.R. 200. We adopted amendments authored by Ms. Bordallo from Guam, as well as from the Senate Modern Fish Act that passed the Senate Committee on Commerce with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. My manager's amendment eliminated some provisions in the bill that were most troublesome to Democrats, even though many outside stakeholders and Members on my side of the aisle considered those to be important components of the bill. The further spirited bipartisan compromise and willingness to support a number of Democratic amendments today--despite the rhetoric coming from the committee Democrats--our actions, our markup, and our willingness to work with House Democrats show that we have, in fact, been willing to work in a bipartisan manner. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I do not oppose it.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin), who sponsored the bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I understand the intent of my good friend's amendment, but I reluctantly oppose it. The amendment would begin to unravel, I believe, this council's structure that was made in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the gold standard of global fisheries management. At best, it erodes MSA's emphasis on regional management. Fish stocks migrate up and down the Atlantic coast frequently incorporated in a prospective of States invested in shared fishery resources, a goal we all share. That is why Congress authorized the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and why my bill before us today creates a liaison between the Mid-Atlantic Council and the New England Council and vice versa. These two mechanisms adequately address overlapping Atlantic coast fisheries without undermining the fundamental council structure. Mr. Chairman, reluctantly, for those reasons, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would not only hamstring the flexibility of rebuilding fish stocks that this bill provides, it would add serious bureaucratic delays in the development of fishery management plans across the country. Furthermore, according to NOAA, this amendment would eliminate some of the flexibility currently provided under the national standard, one which was updated under the Obama administration, and would cause an unnecessary reduction in the catch. NOAA also expressed concerns regarding the potential impact on international fishing agreements that would change how the U.S. can negotiate on rebuilding plans. According to a letter authored by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities, this amendment would undermine the act, impede reforms that are desperately needed, and attack jobs in coastal communities. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a letter to the leadership of the House and to myself where they say such an amendment sponsored by Mr. Jared Huffman of California and Mr. Alcee Hastings of Florida will ensure it does not: ``We believe it would actually undermine the MSA, impede reforms that are desperately needed, and attack jobs in coastal communities around the country, including in California and Florida, the home States of Mr. Huffman and Mr. Hastings.'' National Coalition for Fishing Communities, July 10, 2018. Hon. Paul Ryan, Speaker, United States House of Representatives, Washington,

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I am suggesting, respectfully, that this amendment is uncalled for and, frankly, will gut the bill and the MSA, period. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I am sitting here listening to this. These channels were built for navigation and commercial use by taxpayers' dollars many years ago, and the seagrass grows back. Each time, they mitigate when trying to maintain it. Where is the logic? Where is the logic when we built those channels with American tax dollars for commerce and now, each time they dredge it--they already dredged it once--it grows back and they have to come back and file another ES statement. Why are we doing this? Who is this helping out? Not the fish because the eelgrass grows back again, because they have to dredge it again. It costs money, slows down commerce, and that is interfering with the economy of this country. I have been through these channels. They can't show me where the dredging hurts. In fact, it helps. It is like you said, mowing the grass. You let it grow too long, you are going to get in trouble. We let this eelgrass grow too long, you are going to hurt the channel or you are going to hurt the fish in the long run. So I compliment the gentleman on his amendment, and I will support this amendment strongly.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for modifying this amendment. I still have concerns, as I have told the gentleman. I know the problem. If I ever hear about a red snapper again, we change this to the Graves snapper. That is what we are going to call it. I know there is a problem, and I look forward to working with the gentleman to strengthen the language and, especially, to making sure this does not include any other areas, because I want Alaska and the Pacific Northwest left out. I will say that is being selfish, but I know what the gentleman over there said. I understand what the gentleman is trying to do here. We have a little ways to go. We will work together and try to get something done.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I want to compliment the gentleman on his amendment. This is long overdue. We have the technology. The imposition of putting bodies on board ships that don't really do anything, and I don't think make a great count, can be done better through technology. So I compliment the gentleman on his amendment, and I will be supporting his amendment.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I wasn't going to rise in opposition until I heard about Maine and how beautiful and the free- running streams and all the tourists and the king crab and all those other things. I do admit, I have been to Maine, and I would agree with him, but his is just a little tiny one. We are a great big thing with bigger streams, bigger fish, bigger crab, but no lobsters, though. I have no lobsters, and I am going to ask Mr. Poliquin why we haven't seen more lobsters from Maine. I am not sure why, but I yield to the gentleman from Maine.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I didn't say I wouldn't support it. I just wanted to make sure I get my licks in for Alaska. With that, Mr. Chairman, I do not object to the amendment and will support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition, even though I do not oppose the amendment.