A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

to encourage the south carolina department of natural resources to develop a marine recreational offshore harvest data collection program to conserve marine fisheries while ensuring south carolinians and those who visit our coast each year have access to our public trust resources.

 

Whereas, the 2007 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) created numerous challenges for the management of federal marine recreational fisheries resources in the United States; and

 

Whereas, many of those challenges are a result of the federal Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), on which the MSA relies, poorly identifying and sampling the harvest of offshore recreational anglers in a timely manner; and

 

Whereas, the MRIP has been ineffective at allowing appropriate recreational access to fisheries as they rebuild, such as red snapper in the South Atlantic; and

 

Whereas, this federal system of management has fostered a serious erosion of public confidence, trust, and support for the National Marine Fisheries Service; and

 

Whereas, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is currently exploring a federal permit for South Carolina's offshore anglers to improve their ability to count fish landed in this State; and

 

Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly and South Carolina offshore anglers have far greater confidence in the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in counting fish and producing reliable data than the National Marine Fisheries Service; and

 

Whereas, states in the Gulf of Mexico have demonstrated that developing state-based data collection programs that supplement or replace MRIP leads to improved data accuracy and precision and more fishing opportunities for their anglers than the MRIP system alone. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, encourage the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to develop a state-based, marine recreational offshore fisheries data collection program, in lieu of a federal permit requirement, that ensures more reliable data for fisheries management and facilitates access to offshore fisheries for South Carolina anglers.

 

Be it further resolved that the South Carolina General Assembly requests the South Carolina Congressional delegation identify seed funds from appropriations to the National Marine Fisheries Service to develop the program.

 

Be it further resolved that the copy of this resolution be presented to the South Carolina Congressional Delegation, Governor's office, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

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