For immediate release:04/30/2003
Contact: Herb Moore Jr., Director of Government Affairs
609-294-3315


Bush Administration Takes Stand for Sport Fishing Industry


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Washington, D.C.) - Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans has delivered a letter to Pascal Lamy, European Union Commissioner for Trade, expressing serious concerns that overfishing by EU member states is reducing the stocks of marlin and tuna below sustainable levels. Secretary Evans highlights that actions taken and positions adopted by the EU are undermining the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and threaten the viability of the U.S. sport fishing industry.

"I am concerned that overfishing by EU member states is reducing stocks of ICCAT species below sustainable levels," stated Secretary Evans in an April 25 letter. "The EU is a world leader in supporting protection of the global environment and the sustainable use of natural resources. In the case of Atlantic fishing stocks, however, it appears that the actions and positions of the EU and its member states are at a variance with these goals."

Atlantic bluefin tuna and blue and white marlin fuel a multi-billion dollar sport fishing industry in the U.S. More than just recreation, this industry consists of individual anglers, boat builders, fishing tackle manufacturers, boat retailers, engine companies, bait and tackle retailers, marinas, party and charter boat businesses, tournaments and others.

"Our industry is heavily dependent on healthy fish stocks," said Robert T. Healey, CEO of the Viking Yacht Company and Voluntary Chairman of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA). "If our fisheries continue to decline, jobs will be lost. No fish- no fish boats."

Despite strong conservation measures taken by this U.S sector, the stocks of bluefin tuna, blue and white marlin continue to decline. The depletion of these highly migratory species is largely due to foreign nations failing to comply with their obligations under ICCAT- a trade agreement under which quotas are set and management measures are derived to maintain the stocks of these species which migrate across the Atlantic.

The letter from Secretary Evans follows a petition filed by the RFA, a national, grassroots political action organization representing U.S. sport fishermen and the sport fishing industry, to address the EU’s overfishing of marlin, swordfish and tuna. The RFA alleged in the petition that the EU’s noncompliance with ICCAT amounts to unfair trade practices under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

"I would like to work together with you [Commissioner Lamy] so as to make ICCAT an effective steward of our shared Atlantic fisheries, and to prevent this issue from becoming another bilateral trade irritant," stated Secretary Evans. "To that end, I am urging you [Commissioner Lamy] to take prompt action to improve EU compliance with existing ICCAT obligations and to re-consider accepting science-based conservation measures to guarantee a sustainable future for species like the Atlantic bluefin tuna and white marlin."

"We are very pleased that the Bush Administration is urging the EU to live up to its obligations under ICCAT," said James A. Donofrio, RFA executive director. "We applaud Secretary Evans for standing up for our fishermen, our fishing industry, and our marine environment."

"We are looking forward to working with the Department of Commerce in its efforts with the EU, and view this action as major progress for the sport fishing industry," added Mr. Donofrio.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance is a national, grassroots political action organization representing individual sport fishermen and the sport fishing industry. The RFA Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs and ensure the long-term sustainability of U.S. saltwater fisheries. For more information, call 1-888-JOIN-RFA.