February 12, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — North Carolina Representative Walter Jones passed away Sunday evening at the age of 76. Congressman Jones had been in hospice care for the past few weeks after suffering from a broken hip in January. Jones had represented the people of Eastern North Carolina in Congress and the state legislature for over 34 years and was an ally to the fishing community.
During his time in office, Jones made defending fishermen one of his top priorities. He maintained that fishing was a “pillar of Eastern North Carolina’s heritage and a key component of the regional economy.” He pledged to do “everything in my power to make sure that fishermen are treated fairly by the federal government.”
Just this past July he was instrumental in passing H.R. 200, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act. Jones authored two of H.R. 200’s core provisions to “improve flexibility and transparency in fisheries management.”
“Fishermen have unnecessarily sacrificed for years because of flaws in the existing law,” Congressman Jones said at the time. “If we can get more flexibility in rebuilding fisheries, and more transparency and accountability in management, everybody wins. Fishing stocks get recovered, and the jobs and economic activity associated with fishing can be restored.
You can find more information on his work for the fishing industry here.
Congressman Jones will lie in repose at St. Peter Catholic Church in Greenville, North Carolina, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13. A public funeral service will be held at St. Peter Catholic Church on Thursday, February 14 at 1:30 p.m.
This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.