He said, "You know , I’ve experienced many great moments and it’s hard to name the best. I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound perch."

Mr. Chairman, my guess is that you want to pass a bill that keeps the President happy. And I want to make sure our fish populations are sustainable. It seems to me there should be a way for both of us to accomplish our objectives.

Let me state, very clearly, that I commend you for the improvements you intend to make to your bill, as reflected in the substitute pending before us, due to the discussions between our staffs over the last week. As always, the courtesies extended to us are deeply appreciated.

At the same time, we still remain apart on some very critical issues and I will not be in the position to vote to report this legislation to the House today.

There are three major points which still divide us, and even the Bush Administration expressed concern about these three provisions during our recent hearing on this measure.

First, in my view, the substitute will allow our fisheries to continue to decline to the point where they may never return. I intend to offer an amendment to strike the provision allowing overfishing to continue indefinitely, unless, of course, one of our Republican colleagues beats me to the punch.

The Magnuson Act requires that when a fishery is overfished, the fishery should be rebuilt within 10 years. There are already exceptions to meeting this deadline, providing an extension when warranted. Yet, your substitute authorizes even more reasons to delay rebuilding, and I am concerned this will make it more difficult for stocks to rebuild, and some populations could end up on the endangered species list.

Second, I oppose the provision making the protections of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act subservient to the Magnuson Act. The purposes of the two laws are fundamentally different.

Finally, your substitute gives the Secretary of Commerce the authority to determine that compliance with the Magnuson Act meets the requirements in the National Environmental Policy Act. Here again, the two laws serve different purposes.

Aside from these three main objections, the Magnuson Act could be strengthened by the inclusion of additional provisions from my council reform bill. Further, the provision to establish a limited access privilege program could be improved to benefit fishermen in coastal communities nationwide.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for your commitment to continue to work with me on these issues before this bill goes to the House floor.