Oversight Hearing on:

• "National Fish Hatchery System: Strategic Hatchery and Workforce Planning Report"

Member Statements:

The Honorable John Fleming
Subcommittee Chairman

Witnesses and Testimony:

PANEL I

The Honorable David P. Roe
Member of Congress from the State of Tennessee

The Honorable Eric A. “Rick” Crawford
Member of Congress from the State of Arkansas

The Honorable Doug Collins
Member of Congress from the State of Georgia

PANEL II

Mr. David Hoskins
Assistant Director
Fish and Aquatic Conservation
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Ms. Diane Parks
Acting Deputy Chief of Operations and Regulations
Headquarters
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Mr. Ed Carter
Executive Director
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Testifying on behalf of Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Background:

The National Fish Hatchery System was established in 1871 to address seriously declining fish populations by building a network of federal hatcheries to propagate fishery resources for future generations of Americans. These facilities, which average more than 70 years old, produce and distribute 140 million fish and 120 million fish eggs with a value over $5 billion each year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently issued a “Strategic Hatchery and Workforce Planning Report” which accelerates the ongoing transition from stocking efforts to the recovery and restoration of federally listed species. The report now ranks the priorities of the hatchery system as: recovery, restoration, tribal treaty programs, native species mitigation propagation and non-native species mitigation propagation. This hearing will examine this report and the negative effects that the recommendations in this report would have on American jobs and the economy.

Related Documents:

• Official Hearing Transcript
• Subcommittee Hearing Notice - February 24, 2014
• Updated: Subcommittee Hearing Notice - March 3, 2014
• Subcommittee Hearing Witness List - March 4, 2014