Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SCR36 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R10868 RMA-D
2	2	By: Hinojosa S.C.R. No. 36
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4	4
5	5	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, In recent years, the Gulf of Mexico has contained
7	7	the highest total allowable catch of red snapper in decades, but in
8	8	2016, anglers experienced the shortest recreational fishing season
9	9	to date, lasting less than two weeks; and
10	10	WHEREAS, The U.S. government has overseen the Gulf
11	11	recreational red snapper fishery for nearly four decades; today,
12	12	federal management systems attempt to regulate red snapper fishing
13	13	by the pound with tools specifically designed to manage the
14	14	commercial sector, despite the fact that federal data collection
15	15	systems are incapable of accounting to such a level of specificity
16	16	for recreational harvests; and
17	17	WHEREAS, The U.S. government has, moreover, neglected to use
18	18	recent data to provide meaningful guidelines and requirements for a
19	19	systematic reallocation of federal fisheries; except for minor
20	20	adjustments to account for errors in its own data collection
21	21	system, the Gulf red snapper fishery allocation is based on highly
22	22	suspect data from 1979-1986 and has remained unchanged since 1991;
23	23	and
24	24	WHEREAS, The federal government is currently promoting a
25	25	management strategy to privatize the Gulf red snapper fishery;
26	26	approximately 50 percent of the fishery is already held by private
27	27	businesses, while another 20 percent has been designated to be
28	28	sold; shares of this public resource have also been given away for
29	29	free, based on a commercial operator's past catch history; and
30	30	WHEREAS, Because of extraordinarily remiss requirements in
31	31	its conflict of interest guidelines, the federal fisheries
32	32	management system allows commercial operators who already own red
33	33	snapper shares or who may be gifted shares to serve on the Gulf of
34	34	Mexico Fishery Management Council and to cast votes on issues that
35	35	will result in direct financial benefit for them; and
36	36	WHEREAS, By creating a prohibitive environment for anglers
37	37	and ethical issues among user groups and stakeholders, the U.S.
38	38	government has proved itself incapable of properly managing red
39	39	snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, and all five states along the
40	40	Gulf Coast have increasingly needed to implement regulations and
41	41	seasons that are not consistent with the federal management plan;
42	42	and
43	43	WHEREAS, Numerous studies, including some funded by NOAA
44	44	Fisheries, indicate that the greatest economic engine in the Gulf
45	45	reef fishery is the recreational angling sector, and federal
46	46	control should be relinquished to the Gulf states, which depend
47	47	most on this vital public resource; now, therefore, be it
48	48	RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
49	49	hereby encourage Congress to pass legislation or adopt policies
50	50	allowing Texas to manage the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery out
51	51	to 200 nautical miles; and, be it further
52	52	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
53	53	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
54	54	the president of the Senate and to the speaker of the House of
55	55	Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
56	56	members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
57	57	this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
58	58	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.