Saving Seafood

Huffman, Case Unveil Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization Discussion Draft to Update Federal Fisheries Management

December 18, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Today, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee, and subcommittee member Ed Case (D-Honolulu) introduced a discussion draft to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the primary law governing federal fisheries management and conservation that has made the U.S. a global leader in sustainable fisheries. This draft is the culmination of a year-long listening tour Rep. Huffman led to get feedback on the legislation – part of his ongoing effort to foster a uniquely transparent, inclusive, science-based approach to updating this important law governing fisheries in American waters.

“This draft includes important and timely updates to the MSA as well as provisions to strengthen communities and support those whose lives and livelihoods depend on healthy oceans and fisheries,” said Reps. Huffman and Case.“With the growing impacts of climate change, difficulties due to the ongoing pandemic, and rapidly evolving needs in fisheries management and science, amending and reauthorizing the MSA remains a top priority. We’re looking forward to the next phase of this process and receiving constructive commentary to inform and shape the bill’s introduction next year.”

In an effort to include as many opinions and viewpoints as possible, Rep. Huffman and Rep. Case held eight listening sessions and covered seven management regions on their nationwide fisheries listening tour. They heard from 80 different experts and stakeholders, in addition to public comments from dozens of members of the public in person and online. From the very beginning, this has been one of the most deliberative, transparent efforts to reauthorize the MSA.

The text of the MSA Reauthorization discussion draft is here. A one-pager on the legislation is here. A section-by-section summary is here. A cover letter on the legislation can be found here.

Fishing industry in Hawaii to receive millions in targeted COVID-19 aid

May 21, 2020 — Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) recently announced that more than $4.3 million is now available for the State of Hawaii’s fishing and aquaculture industry impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is the agency tasked to administer the funds to eligible applicants.

“Those eligible for the funds include commercial fishing businesses, charter for hire fishing companies, qualified aquaculture operations and marine fisheries management agencies,” said Case.

The money was made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), which Congress passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support and was signed into law by the president on March 27, 2020.

Nationally, the funds are administered through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Read the full story at Lahaina News

Reps. Huffman, Case, Cunningham, Graves Advocate for Fisheries Relief in Bipartisan Letter

April 9, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Today, Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA), Ed Case (D-HI), Joe Cunningham (D-SC), and Garret Graves (R-LA) led 35 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging immediate distribution of the assistance secured by Congress in the CARES Act to fishery participants, including Tribal, subsistence, commercial, and charter fishery participants. Representative Huffman currently serves as Chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife which has jurisdiction over fisheries.

“We write to urge you to quickly implement the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which provides $300 million for fishery participants facing unprecedented and severe impacts due to the novel coronavirus,” the members wrote in their letter. “Due to the ongoing public health crisis, fisheries dependent businesses and communities are facing extreme economic hardship from loss of markets […] Furthermore, many tribal and non-tribal communities impacted by the ongoing crisis have also faced fishery disasters in recent years with long delays in disaster relief, so they are especially threatened by additional economic hardship […] Rapid relief is critical now for the future of coastal communities, our constituents, and a thriving fishing industry. ”
 
As part of their letter, the Representatives requested that the Department of Commerce ensure a transparent and fair process for distributing the CARES Act relief and provide detailed guidance for requests, explicit timelines for review and distribution of funds, and clear standards for decision making and funding allocations.
 
Representative Huffman has been a career-long advocate for fishing communities and Tribes, and has continuously pushed for fishery disaster relief funding. Earlier this year, Huffman introduced the bipartisan Fishery Failures: Urgently Needed Disaster Declarations Act (Fishery FUNDD Act) to improve the federal fishery disaster process and ensure more timely disaster relief for impacted communities. 
 
In addition to Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA), Ed Case (D-HI), Joe Cunningham (D-SC), and Garret Graves (R-LA), the letter was signed by Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), David Rouzer (R-NC), Don Young (R-AK), Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Steven M. Palazzo (R-MS), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS), Denny Heck (D-WA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Elaine G. Luria (D-VA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), David N. Cicilline (D-RI), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), William R. Keating (D-MA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Charlie Crist (D-FL), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA), Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA).
 
The full letter can be found  here  or below.  
 
Dear Secretary Ross:
 
We write to urge you to quickly implement the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which provides $300 million for fishery participants facing unprecedented and severe impacts due to the novel coronavirus. We ask that you work with NOAA, impacted stakeholders, and Native American Tribes to rapidly provide this assistance and to do so in a fair and transparent process that allocates sufficient funding to our impacted constituents and communities throughout the country.
 
U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries generate over $200 billion in sales and 1.7 million jobs, but due to the ongoing public health crisis, fisheries dependent businesses and communities are facing extreme economic hardship from loss of markets. These impacts are felt throughout the industry – charter guides and recreational businesses; processors, retailers, and the entire seafood supply chain; and fishing captains, their crews, and the communities they serve are all facing significant challenges. The U.S. is a global leader in sustainable fisheries management and has a rich fishing history and culture, but significant loss of economic activity threatens the future of fisheries and associated infrastructure throughout the country.
 
The crisis has also significantly impacted Tribes who rely on fisheries for cultural, subsistence, and commercial harvest. Fisheries assistance is critical to mitigate the direct economic impacts these communities are facing and ensure they have adequate resources to continue providing basic services for their communities throughout this crisis. Furthermore, many tribal and non-tribal communities impacted by the ongoing crisis have also faced fishery disasters in recent years with long delays in disaster relief, so they are especially threatened by additional economic hardship.
 
We urge you to work quickly to ensure that fishery participants and the communities they support see this financial assistance as soon as possible. We also ask that you ensure a transparent and fair process for distributing this relief and provide detailed guidance for requests, explicit timelines for review and distribution of funds, and clear standards for decision making and funding allocations. Rapid relief is critical now for the future of coastal communities, our constituents, and a thriving fishing industry.
 
Thank you for your work during this time.

Reps. Huffman, Case Announce Honolulu as Next Stop on Congressional Fisheries Listening Tour

February 20, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) Chair of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, and Congressman Ed Case (D-Honolulu) will be hosting the next stop on a nationwide fisheries listening tour TOMORROW, Friday, February 21, at 10:00 a.m. HST in Honolulu, Hawaii. Congressman Case will moderate this discussion on federal fisheries policy in the context of the Western Pacific fishery management region, with Chairman Huffman joining remotely.

Members of the press interested in attending should submit their RSVP to Nestor Garcia with Congressman Case’s office at nestor.garcia@mail.house.gov.

WHO:            Congressman Ed Case, Congressman Jared Huffman (will appear via video conference), fisheries and oceans experts

WHAT:          Discussion on federal fisheries management

WHEN:          Friday, February 21, 2020 @ 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. HST

WHERE:       The Atherton Hālau in the Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu, HI, 96817

The forum will be live-streamed via ‘Ōlelo Community Television Channel 53 and on their web sitewww.olelo.org/tune-in.  The direct link to share can be found here: https://olelo.granicus.com/player/camera/11?publish_id=89. It will be viewable to anyone with an internet connection. Please credit ‘Ōlelo Community Media for use of the video.

Congressional Fisheries Listening Tour: 2/11 LIVE Honolulu

  • 2/21/2020    10:00 AM    OLELO 53 LIVE
  • 3/11/2020     7:30 PM      OLELO 49
  • 3/15/2020   10:00 PM      OLELO 49
  • 3/16/2020     8:00 AM     OLELO 49
  • 3/17/2020     1:30 PM      OLELO 49

This panel discussion with experts and stakeholders will include a detailed, technical examination of current and future challenges in federal fisheries management and will explore potential solutions. Guests will be able to ask questions during the roundtable and provide public comments at its conclusion.

The ideas Huffman receives from this listening tour, and from other stakeholder outreach that is already underway, will inform his introduction of a reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary law governing fisheries management in U.S. federal waters.

More detail on Huffman’s listening tour, which was first announced in July, can be found here.

Reps. Huffman, Case Announce Honolulu as Next Stop on Congressional Fisheries Listening Tour

February 13, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) Chair of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, and Congressman Ed Case (D-Honolulu) will be hosting the next stop on a nationwide fisheries listening tour Friday, February 21, at 10:00 a.m. HST in Honolulu, Hawaii. Congressman Case will moderate this discussion on federal fisheries policy in the context of the Western Pacific fishery management region, with Chairman Huffman joining remotely.

Members of the press interested in attending should submit their RSVP to Nestor Garcia with Congressman Case’s office at nestor.garcia@mail.house.gov.

WHO: Congressman Ed Case, Congressman Jared Huffman (will appear via video conference), fisheries and oceans experts

WHAT: Discussion on federal fisheries management

WHEN: Friday, February 21, 2020 @ 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. HST

WHERE: The Atherton Hālau in the Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu, HI, 96817

This panel discussion with experts and stakeholders will include a detailed, technical examination of current and future challenges in federal fisheries management and will explore potential solutions. Guests will be able to ask questions during the roundtable and provide public comments at its conclusion.

The ideas Huffman receives from this listening tour, and from other stakeholder outreach that is already underway, will inform his introduction of a reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary law governing fisheries management in U.S. federal waters.

More detail on Huffman’s listening tour, which was first announced in July, can be found here.

US congressional committee turns up heat on Western Pacific council’s handling of funds

September 5, 2019 — Four influential members of the US Congress have requested a federal investigation into the use by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Wespac) of millions of dollars of funds intended to promote conservation, reports the Honolulu Civil Beat, an investigative journal based in Hawaii.

In a letter sent Aug. 29, Democratic representatives Raul Grijalva, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee; Jared Huffman, chairman of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife; Ed Case, from Hawaii; and Gregorio Sablan, an independent representative from the Northern Mariana Islands, asked Peggy Gustafson, the US Department of Commerce’s inspector general, to conduct a “comprehensive review of the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund…and report on lapses in transparency and accountability and possible waste and abuse of government funds”.

The fund, which was initially seeded by millions of dollars in fines against foreign vessels fishing illegally in US Pacific islands, now relies on contributions made by the Hawaii Longline Association, a group that represents most of the state’s 144-vessel fleet.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News