H.Con.Res. 85

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 85 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 85

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.

_______________________________________________________________________

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

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
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.
<all>