Marine Fish Conservation Network
Washington DC
May 4, 2004

Coalition Launches New Initiative to Promote
Standards for Individual Fishing Quotas to Protect
Family Fishermen and Marine Ecosystems

Ad Campaign Hits Newspapers Nationwide;
www.FairIFQs.org Launched; Fishermen Visit Congress
in Washington, D.C.

Washington DC - The Marine Fish Conservation Network today launched a new nationwide initiative to persuade Congress to pass national standards to protect coastal communities and marine fish populations from the negative impacts of individual fishing quota (IFQ) programs, systems in which individual fishermen or fishing businesses are granted a specific portion of the total amount of fish caught in one year.

"It is important that policymakers are aware of the severe risks to family fishermen and marine ecosystems that may result from poorly regulated individual fishing quota programs," said Lee Crockett, executive director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network, a coalition of more than 160 commercial and recreational fishing groups, environmental organizations, aquariums, and marine scientists. "Fortunately, Congress can minimize these inherent risks by enacting legislation establishing national standards that protect family fishermen and the environment."

Legislation crafted with the help of environmentalists, fishermen, and marine scientists is currently pending before Congress (H.R. 2621). The recent U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report also contained recommendations for national standards similar to those in H.R. 2621.

More than 20 fishermen and concerned citizens from Alaska, California, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, and Oregon are coming to Washington, D.C. to educate national policymakers about the negative impacts of IFQ programs and how national standards can help eliminate these prospective problems.

The Network also launched a national advertising campaign and an informational Web site calling for IFQ standards. Advertisements appeared in key coastal newspapers encouraging readers to learn more about the risks of IFQs and directing them to the "Fair IFQs" Web site at www.fairifqs.org, an online resource to learn more about the need for national standards and how individuals can support the effort to establish them.

"There are grave inherent dangers in the parceling out of any publicly owned resource to a select few individuals or companies," said Michael Brooks, a fisherman and caviar processor from Homer, Alaska.

Last week, the call for national standards received support from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, which recommended in its preliminary report on ocean health and policy that Congress enact national standards for dedicated access programs, such as an IFQ programs, to ensure the public trust is protected.

"As we move toward ecosystem-based management, it's important that any fishery management tool we employ be compatible with this broader approach," said Peter Huhtala, senior policy director of the Pacific Marine Conservation Council and co-chair of the Network. "Conservation and restoration of healthy fish populations and marine ecosystems must be an essential component of these programs."

Editor's note: The Network's report detailing the negative environmental, public trust, and socioeconomic impacts of existing quota system programs and a summary of H.R. 2621 can be found at www.fairifqs.org.

To view the Network's IFQ advertisement, visit:    advertisement

Contact: Jo Knight, 202.543.5509
jknight@conservefish.org

The Marine Fish Conservation Network is a coalition of over 160 national and regional environmental organizations, commercial and recreational fishing groups, aquariums, and marine science groups dedicated to conserving marine fish and to promoting their long-term sustainability. For more information, visit:   www.conservefish.org