H.Con.Res. 85

119 HCON 85 IH: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act on April 13, 2026, and recognizing its significant impact on the sustainable and profitable management of the Nation’s fishery resources.
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-04-16
 text/xml
 EN
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 IV  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. CON. RES. 85  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   April 16, 2026   Mr. Huffman  (for himself,  Ms. Hoyle of Oregon , and  Mr. Keating ) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the  Committee on Natural Resources    CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act on April 13, 2026, and recognizing its significant impact on the sustainable and profitable management of the Nation’s fishery resources.
Whereas abundant marine fish stocks and their habitats are important to the economy and food supply of the Nation, and also provide Americans with the opportunity to take part in recreation and fishing traditions that are central to the Nation’s history and culture, including—
(1)
contributing $319,000,000,000 in sales impacts and supporting 2,100,000 jobs;
(2)
supporting a United States per capita consumption of healthy, affordable seafood products of 19.1 pounds;
(3)
providing for 204,000,000 saltwater fishing trips and an estimated recreational catch of 1,100,000,000 fish; and
(4)
sustaining Indigenous and Tribal practices and providing critical food security;
Whereas Indigenous communities and Tribes have stewarded fishery resources since time immemorial;
Whereas the Fishery Conservation and Management Act, later renamed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) ( 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. ), has been the primary law governing marine fisheries in United States Federal waters since its original passage in 1976;
Whereas, prior to its enactment, unregulated foreign fleets decimated local fish populations and overfishing posed a threat to American fishing communities’ liberty and livelihoods;
Whereas the MSA extended Federal control over fishery resources to 200 nautical miles offshore, evicting unregulated foreign fleets from United States waters and prioritizing American fishermen’s right to access the Nation’s fishery resources;
Whereas the MSA established a national program for conservation and management of United States fishery resources, ushering in a new era of long-term sustainability through a science-based, transparent process of management, innovation, and collaboration;
Whereas the MSA works to ensure that fishermen and industry members are partners in the democratic decision making that affects their business, livelihoods, and communities;
Whereas the MSA established 8 regional fishery management councils composed of fishermen, State managers, seafood processors, conservationists, scientists, Indigenous and Tribal members, and other experts that prepare and monitor management plans to steward their local fishery resources in the Nation’s best interests;
Whereas the MSA increases the long-term economic and social benefits from fisheries by—
(1)
preventing overfishing;
(2)
rebuilding stocks;
(3)
ensuring a safe and sustainable supply of seafood; and
(4)
protecting habitat that fish need to spawn, breed, feed, and grow to maturity;
Whereas the management actions implemented under the MSA have helped to rebuild 52 fish stocks, limited overfishing to 4 percent of managed stocks in 2025, and reduced bycatch for many stocks; and
Whereas bipartisan reauthorizations of the MSA have improved the future outlook for this critical natural resource and American fishing communities by—
(1)
strengthening requirements to prevent overfishing and rebuild stocks through annual catch limits and accountability measures;
(2)
establishing national standards to address safety at sea, practices to support democratic participation, and bycatch minimization;
(3)
promoting market-based management strategies;
(4)
highlighting the role of science in management; and
(5)
enhancing international cooperation to address illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing: Now, therefore, be it
That Congress—
(1)
recognizes and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) ( 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. ) and its enduring influence on vibrant coastal economies and healthy marine ecosystems;
(2)
celebrates the people who commit and risk their lives to provide seafood and nutrition to the Nation;
(3)
commends the State and Federal resource managers, fishermen, industry representatives, Indigenous and Tribal members, scientists, conservationists, and other experts who uphold the principles of the MSA and work collaboratively to steward fishery resources in the Nation’s best interests; and
(4)
reaffirms its commitment to a strong science-based MSA to maintain healthy and profitable fisheries and to provide a foundation to address modern challenges, such as persistent overfishing, changing ocean and ecosystem conditions, fishery disasters, and illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing practices by foreign fleets that are affecting fishing communities and the productivity of fisheries in the United States.