Sen. Ted Steven’s latest proposal to revise the nation’s fisheries legislation is a major step forward for Alaska and national fisheries.

The bill strengthens the landmark Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA) that has guided responsible management of Alaska’s marine fisheries for almost 30 years and has fostered a domestic industry that provides thousands of jobs in our coastal communities.

His proposals to strengthen science and conservation will extend the reasons for Alaska’s success across the nation.

The draft bill is a result of a bipartisan effort by the Senate Commerce Committee, which is chaired by Alaska’s senior senator.

It is based on nearly 700 comments gathered in meetings and discussions with seafood harvesters, processors and suppliers; environmental and recreational groups, other regional councils, federal and state and local governments including Alaska fishing communities; and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.

Among its key provisions, the bill would retain and strengthen the regional fishery management council process that has worked so well here. That is good news for Alaska. Some organizations have promoted scraping the councils and moving decisions from local regions to Washington, D.C.

Alaska produces over half the nation’s seafood and does so without a single groundfish species being listed as overfished.

A big reason for that success is the open forum that the council process provides, inviting all sides to the table: industry and environmentalists; scientists and community leaders. It is important that decisions affecting our communities, and the resources they depend on, are made by people close to the action and knowledgeable about our fisheries.

The bill would strengthen the role of science in the management process by requiring that all regional councils follow Alaska’s lead in strictly following the recommendations of its scientific advisors when setting catch limits.

That’s a key reason for Alaska’s success and it needs to be duplicated across the nation.

It would create a needed fund for cooperative research programs like gear modifications that improve conservation, and help develop new technologies to improve the quality and value of fish landed.

Stevens’ bill would also strengthen data collection and fishery monitoring programs and put more teeth into enforcement.

Stevens includes needed reforms to resolve regulatory inconsistencies between the MSA and the National Environmental Policy Act.

This is needed for several reasons: It would eliminate confusion to the public, improve management and allow for more rapid response to management and conservation needs.

Under the present situation, two different and often conflicting procedures apply to management decisions which can delay implementation for years. Quicker response means that conservation needs can be met sooner and more effectively.

The bill also sets out provisions for fishery quota programs to improve conservation and promote safety. Such programs can be an important tool to reduce the catch of unwanted species, assist in protecting marine habitat, increase the value and quality of the catch, and promote safety at sea. Undoubtedly some of the provisions will cause considerable debate, but there will be opportunities to refine the proposal as it goes through the legislative process.

Stevens’ latest bill was released just this week and it deserves Alaska’s strong support.

By strengthening the role of science in management decisions and retaining the open, public process that has made fishery management here a model, Sen. Steven’s bill represents a major advance for Alaska and the nation’s fisheries.

David Benton is former deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and former chair of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. He is now the executive director of the Marine Conservation Alliance that represents harvesters, processors and communities involved in Alaska’s groundfish and shellfish fisheries.