(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter today applauded the passage in the U.S. Senate of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with several provisions to benefit Louisiana fishermen. This act would help ensure the productivity and sustainability of Louisiana’s fishery resources.

            “I’m pleased that several provisions that I authored remained in the final bill. The Magnuson-Stevens Act addresses solutions to the serious challenges Louisiana’s fishing industry faced before the hurricanes and many new challenges created by the storms,” said Vitter. “As the second largest producer of domestic seafood in the nation, restoration of Louisiana’s fisheries and habitats are vital to our nation’s economy.”

           As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Vitter worked throughout the bill drafting process to include provisions that addressed the needs of Louisiana fishermen. In particular, Vitter secured an authorization of $105 million in federal funding for fiscal years 2007-2012 for the fisheries hurricane assistance program for Gulf of Mexico commercial and recreational fishermen.   In addition, Vitter included provisions that require reports detailing the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma on the Gulf fishing industry and habitats, as well as provide a study to evaluate turtle excluder devices and their effects on the shrimping industry.                    

           Also, Vitter authored a provision providing fishery finance program hurricane assistance of up to $15 million for each eligible holder with fishery finance program loans, which will help keep people employed and repair fisheries infrastructure as the state rebuilds from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and get operations back underway.

            “I hope that this bill will help meet the most urgent needs of our fishermen,” said Vitter.

            The act also includes a provision that will bring the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration – with its expertise of fisheries and complex ecosystems – to the table as an additional partner to Louisiana’s restoration efforts. The provision authorizes the restoration of coastal habitat and is consistent with Vitter’s Together-Immediately Defeating Erosion (TIDE) Act, which was part of his COAST legislative package introduced last year.

            In addition, the Magnuson-Stevens Act addresses fishery infrastructure issues by providing immediate relief to the fishery sector when a region is afflicted by a catastrophic fishery disaster through the creation of a Regional Coastal Disaster Assistance, Transition and Recovery Program. The program would offer economic assistance for meeting immediate shore-side infrastructure needs, financial assistance and job training for fishermen in a fishery that may be temporarily closed as well as funding for a capacity reduction program.

            “Restoring Louisiana’s fishery infrastructure and habitat is essential to our nation’s economy, our way of life and our dinner table,” Vitter said.

           Now that the Magnuson-Stevens Act has passed the U.S. Senate, it will need to be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives before it goes to the president to be signed into law.