September 26, 2022 — In a strongly-worded letter sent yesterday to Chairman Jared Huffman (D-CA) of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, over 40 seafood organizations and 100 individual members of the industry nationwide, asked Huffman to “pause the committee process and return to and review the detailed concerns that have been raised by stakeholders through testimony and direct submissions.”
HR 4690 was introduced by Huffman a year ago and a substitute was offered by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources. That committee was marking the bill up yesterday, when the letter was sent. Support for the letter came quickly from the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), National Restaurant Association (NRA), National Retail Federation (NRF), and the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR).
“On behalf of the U.S. fishing and seafood sector participants we represent we write in opposition to the Amendment in the Nature of Substitute offered by Chairman Grijalva on September 14, 2022 to revise your legislation, H.R. 4690, to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA),” the letter began.
Testimony from industry stakeholders has focused on many new sections to the legislation that has governed how the U.S. manages federal fisheries since 1976. The draft bill includes new sections on Climate Change, bycatch, tribal representatives at the North Pacific Council, habitat protection, among others.