Congress is set to vote TOMORROW (7/11/18) on another ocean-related bill that we want to make sure you are aware of, and we hope you will consider contacting your Representative ASAP. The House will vote on a bill that fundamentally undermines the Magnuson-Stevens Act, our often-imitated model for sustainable fisheries management. Your voice is needed in opposition to this threat.  More information and messaging guidance can be found below – we strongly encourage you to reach out to your member and urge them to vote against this bill.

Background: The Magnuson-Stevens Act is successfully working to restore fish populations and the coastal communities that depend on them. The House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 200, a bill that would roll back our nation’s progress towards sustainable fishing.

H.R. 200 threatens our successes by undermining current conservation tools. Efforts to rebuild depleted stocks – and ensure fishermen can access healthy fisheries in the future – would be hampered by reduced accountability and attacks on science-based sustainable limits. The bill’s damaging provisions led to it being passed out of the Natural Resources Committee on party lines, without the broad bipartisan support that Magnuson-Stevens reauthorizations have typically enjoyed. Sustainable fisheries management is not a partisan issue.

What you can do:  Calls to your Representatives are the most effective tool to make a difference right now. Call your Representative to vote NO on H.R. 200 next week. The Capitol Switchboard can be reached at (202) 224-3121, where an operator can connect you directly to your Representative’s office.

Topline Messaging:

  • The Magnuson-Stevens Act, our nation’s foundational fishery conservation and management law, has enjoyed decades of bi-partisan support for its goal of managing our nation’s public fishery resources to realize their full potential in such a way that ensures conservation.
  • There is still more work to be done, but the MSA already has many of the tools for success. That is why we have grave concerns about efforts in both chambers of Congress to dismantle parts of the law. Instead, we should work together to continue improving the law.
  • R. 200 would undermine sustainable fisheries and conservation laws, jeopardizing the health and sustainability of our oceans and the coastal communities that depend on them.
  • We call on Congress to reject proposals that would erase the progress that had been made in the last several decades and has allowed the United States to become a leader in sustainable fishery management.

Sample script:

Good morning/afternoon. My name is _______, I live in (City/Town), and I am a constituent of Representative __________. I urge Representative _________ to oppose H.R.200, which would increase the risk of overfishing off America’s coasts. Over the last 20 years, the U.S. has made great strides toward sustainable management of our public fisheries resources thanks to existing law. But H.R. 200 threatens to roll back the advances that got us where we are today. This has major implications for our nation’s fishing communities, the sustainable seafood Americans of all stripes enjoy, and for healthy oceans. Again, I urge the Representative _____ to vote against H.R.200 when it comes up for a vote.