Saving Seafood

US bill encouraging offshore aquaculture draws opposition

October 28, 2023 — A bill introduced in the U.S. Congress designed to encourage offshore aquaculture has drawn opposition from a coalition of fishermen opposed to the practice.

The SEAfood Act would authorize NOAA to create an offshore aquaculture assessment program, establish a grant program for aquaculture centers of excellence, and order two reports on aquaculture regulations. Don’t Cage Our Oceans, a group opposed to offshore finfish farming, came out against the legislation this week, claiming offshore aquaculture allows “chemicals, diseases, and untreated waste to flow into the open ocean where it poses harms to wildlife, and fishing, and coastal communities.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

House committee moves South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act forward

October 28, 2023 — The U.S. House’s Natural Resources Committee has approved legislation that would finally bring America’s regulations into alignment with amendments to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty signed in 2016.

The 1987 treaty enables American tuna purse-seine vessels to fish in the exclusive economic zones of 16 Pacific Island nations and is key to the ongoing operations of America’s South Pacific tuna fleet. In 2016, the treaty signatories agreed to several amendments to the treaty. However, those changes have not been reflected in U.S. law, leaving South Pacific tuna fishermen in a state of uncertainty for years.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Congress considers SEAfood Act to advance offshore aquaculture in US waters

October 16, 2023 — The SEAfood Act is the only measure in Congress that lays the groundwork for an equitable and inclusive seafood economy of both farmed and wild-caught fish while prioritising data and science in the development of offshore aquaculture in the US. It will be a critical first step to help meet growing consumer demand for seafood and create jobs in vulnerable coastal communities in the future.

“We are grateful for the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Mace and Panetta to advance the growth of aquaculture in US federal waters,” said Andrew Zimmern, an award-winning chef and founding member of the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA). “It’s a responsible, science-based approach that’s good for the economy, for our domestic seafood industry, for our ocean and for American consumers.”

Eric Schwaab, senior vice president for people and nature at the Environmental Defense Fund, added: “The new and improved SEAfood Act will position the United States to become a global leader in sustainable offshore aquaculture. The bill would drive the in-depth, transparent studies and on-the-water research projects necessary to ensure offshore aquaculture is part of a healthy ocean strategy. By developing a sustainable aquaculture industry and supporting wild capture fisheries, we can protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities while building a local seafood economy that meets growing consumer demand.”

Read the full article at the Fish Site

Federal agencies often neglect U.S. territories. New legislation aims to fix that.

August 7, 2023 — A new bill in Congress would establish special advisors across federal agencies to specialize in U.S. territories and certain Pacific nations.

The move could be especially important for those island communities as climate change exacerbates coral bleaching, sea level rise, worsening storms, and other environmental threats that require federal support to address.

“The standards that work at a national level just often don’t make as much sense in each of the territories, and so there can be different impacts that are negative, even if well-intentioned,” said Neil Weare, co-founder of the organization Right to Democracy that advocates for the rights of people in U.S. territories. “Having some sensitivity to addressing those unique needs, I think will be better for the people in the territories, but also then better for the goal of environmental protection.”

Read the full article at Grist

Legislation calls for seaweed farming study, funding for tribal start-ups

March 2, 2023 — A bill introduced in Congress this week calls for a federal study on the possibilities of coastal seaweed farming, and creating a new seaweed farming fund to “reduce cost barriers for indigenous communities, emboldening them to participate in coastal seaweed farming,” according to sponsors Reps. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., and Mary Peltola, D-Alaska.

The Coastal Seaweed Farm Act would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture to produce a joint study “evaluating the benefits and impacts of coastal seaweed farming and devise necessary metrics and regulations,” according to a statement Wednesday from Huffman and Peltola.

“Coastal seaweed farming has tremendous potential to serve as a sustainable replacement in food products, fertilizer, and animal feed; and it comes with a myriad of benefits for coastal communities – supporting local economies, providing food security, and regenerating marine ecosystems,” said Huffman.

“We also want to ensure equity in this field so that indigenous people can continue benefiting from the industry – so our bill creates a grant program to reduce cost barriers for native communities, many of whom have farmed seaweed for thousands of years.”

“Alaska and our Indigenous cultures have been leading the way in mariculture and responsible ocean harvesting for thousands of years,” said Peltola. “This act recognizes Alaska’s unique environment and the crucial relationships between our coastal and near-coastal communities, Tribal organizations, and Alaska Native Corporations, all of which are part of this sector.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Congressional critics plan legislation, hearings on offshore wind

February 22, 2023 — Offshore wind power development may be next on the list for the Congressional Republicans’ public investigations of Biden administration policies.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ, says he’s planning to launch public hearings on the federal permitting process for wind power, starting March 16 somewhere in Van Drew’s southern New Jersey coastal district.

“The unknown impacts of these offshore wind projects raises serious concerns, especially after 18 whales have washed ashore near where surveying is taking place along the East Coast, six of which have been in New Jersey,” Van Drew said in announcing his plans.

Van Drew’s district includes beach resorts like Ocean City, N.J., and Long Beach Island, where homeowners’ groups and municipal officials oppose Ørsted’s Ocean Wind 1 and the nearby Atlantic Shores project. Ocean City officials attempted to block construction of a power cable landing for Ocean Wind, but were rebuffed last week by New Jersey state utility regulators.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

New bipartisan caucus pushing progress on aquaculture issues on Capitol Hill

February 9, 2023 — A new congressional aquaculture caucus is pushing to make American aquaculture more competitive globally through legislative initiatives in Washington D.C.

Thirteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives formed the inaugural class of the caucus in December 2022: U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-California), Jerry Carl (R-Alabama), Buddy Carter (R-Georgia), Scott Franklin (R-Florida), French Hill (R-Arkansas), Maria Salazar (R-Florida), Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia), Rob Wittman (R-Virginia) , Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Steven Palazzo (R-Mississippi), Jimmy Panetta (D-California), and Kat Cammack (R-Florida), Case, Palazzo, Panetta, and Cammack are co-chairing the caucus.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

The Catch Share Reform Coalition goes to Congress

February 8, 2023 — Reacting to Will Sennott’s July 2022 ProPublica story about a European family owning a large chunk of New England groundfish quota, a consortium of fishermen and others from around the country have landed in Washington D.C. and will be meeting with the members of House and Senate Committees to advocate for more fishermen-friendly systems.

From Feb. 6-9 the Catch Share Reform Coalition will be raising awareness in Congress of the failures of Catch Shares and other Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) management schemes.

Consortium members cited Larry Marino, a representative of Louisiana’s Attorney General Office, as a high-profile critic of catch shares. Marino spoke at a recent meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council of the need to reform catch share programs.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Threat of rail strike recedes as US Congress intervenes

December 3, 2022 — The U.S. Senate joined the U.S. House in voting to intervene to prevent a nationwide strike by railroad workers.

The Senate bill, which passed 80-15, was signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden on 2 December. Food industry and retail groups had urged Congress to pass the resolution to avert the strike, which was estimated to potentially cost the American economy up to USD 2 billion (EUR 1.9 billion) a day.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource