May 16, 2022 — Yesterday morning President Biden signed into law Senate Bill 497 which creates an industry-led advisory committee within the Department of Commerce to assist in the awarding of fisheries research and development grants, including all Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) awards, and support the long-term vitality of American-caught seafood.
The law was passed overwhelmingly by both the House and Senate last month.
The S-K Act of 1954 established a program to provide funding for fisheries marketing, research, and development. The program is funded by a permanent appropriation of 30% of the previous calendar year’s customs receipts from imports of fish products. These funds have grown steadily from $26.7 million in 1980 to $182.8 million in 2020.