WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — June 16, 2016 — In a letter to the Coast Guard yesterday, Sen. Maria Cantwell and a bipartisan group of 32 members of Congress called on the Coast Guard to develop the commercial fishing vessel Alternative Safety Compliance Program in coordination with the commercial fishing industry.
The Alternate Safety Compliance Program was mandated by the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2010, and fishing industry compliance is required by 2020. Sen. Cantwell’s letter expressed “increasing concern about the status, direction and future implementation of this critical safety program.” The letter also called for the Coast Guard to transmit clear timelines and to improve transparency in the rule making process.