Contact: Monique.Clendinen@mail.house.gov
Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen welcomed Virgin Islands fishermen to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, calling their testimony on the Magnuson Stevens Act important for the promotion of healthy and sustainable fisheries in the territory. Congresswoman Christensen introduced Julian Magras, Chairman of the Board of the St. Thomas Fishermen’s Association who spoke on behalf of the Virgin Islands delegation, to the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife.
Magras questioned the implementation of the Allowable Catch Limits (ACL) by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council. “The manner in which these actions are being taken show a significant disregard for the Virgin Islands culture and community, disregard for facts on the ground,” he told the subcommittee. Magras disputed the process by which the organizations determine which species or groups are “overfished.” He also said that Virgin Islands data, collected over 30 years, was not used to determine the status of the fisheries but were instead based on data from Puerto Rico. He also said that other local and national fishery closings that affect the Virgin Islands fisheries were not taken into account.
Under questioning, Congresswoman Christensen elicited testimony for the record from Magras regarding the causes of the deterioration of the coral reef. “I totally disagree that overfishing is the primary cause of damage to the coral reef,” Magras said. He cited pollution from runoff and industrial pollution as having a greater impact on Virgin Islands fisheries.
Other members of the Virgin Islands delegation included Eddie Schuster of the St. Croix Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Jimmy Magner, President of the St. Thomas Fishermen’s Association, and Dr. David Olsen, Chief Scientist of the Association.
