Saving Seafood

Massachusetts Delegation Pleased With Additional Fisheries Disaster Funds in COVID Relief Package

January 6, 2021 — A Massachusetts delegation led by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives William R. Keating (MA-09) and Seth Moulton (MA-08) supported the inclusion of $300 million in national fisheries disaster assistance as part of the $900 billion coronavirus relief legislation.

In the last COVID relief package, the state received 28 million in fisheries assistance via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Senators Markey and Warren, and Reps. Keating and Moulton Commend Inclusion of Additional $300 Million in Fisheries Disaster Assistance in Coronavirus Relief Package

January 4, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.):

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives William R. Keating (MA-09) and Seth Moulton (MA-08) joined in expressing support for the inclusion of $300 million in national fisheries disaster assistance as part of the $900 billion coronavirus relief legislation that passed at the end of the year. Massachusetts has previously been allocated $28 million in fisheries assistance in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act funding.

“The Massachusetts fishing and seafood industries aren’t just part of the Bay State’s historic and cultural heritage—they are vital contributors to our working waterfronts and coastal economy,” said the Massachusetts lawmakers.“These industries have been severely impacted by the pandemic and economic crisis and deserve to be included in relief efforts. We will continue to fight for this funding to be distributed swiftly and equitably to Massachusetts businesses and then supplanted with the additional support that the fishing and seafood industries need.”

Massachusetts lawmakers, led by Senators Markey and Warren, have championed the allocation of financial aid to fishery participants. In March 2020, Senators Markey and Warren, and Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan called on Senate leadership to include support for the fishing industry in coronavirus economic relief packages. and secured a $20 million USDA procurement of Atlantic seafood. Also in March 2020, Reps. Keating, Richard Neal (MA-01), James P. McGovern (MA-02), and Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08) called on House leadership to include fishing disaster assistance in relief packages.  In April 2020, Senators Markey and Warren led a letter urging the Department of Commerce and NOAA to act swiftly, equitably, and transparently in allocating fisheries disaster assistance funding.  Also in April, Senators Markey and Warren led a letter demanding immediate release of federal guidance on how fishery participants could access the $300 million in CARES Act funds, and identifying bureaucratic inefficiencies that were behind the failure to issue this guidance in a timely manner. In June 2020, Senators Markey and Warren called on Senate leadership to include additional fisheries assistance in the next coronavirus relief package.

Congress approves bill to train prospective fishermen

December 23, 2020 — A bill to establish the nation’s first ever federal program to train prospective commercial fishermen has passed Congress and awaits approval by the White House.

The Young Fishermen’s Development Act was passed unanimously by both the U.S. House and Senate, the Sitka Sentinel reported Monday. The law would provide grants to foster the growth of budding fishermen across the country.

The bill introduced by Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in 2019 had bipartisan support, with co-sponsors that included Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Democratic U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, both of Massachusetts.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

US Senate passes bill to help young fishermen get into industry

December 9, 2020 — A bill that would help the next generation of fishermen enter the business passed a major hurdle last week when the U.S. Senate passed the measure by a voice vote.

Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), the bill is fashioned after a U.S. Department of Agriculture program to aid new farmers and ranchers. Among the steps the legislation calls for is the establishment of competitive grants at state, local, tribal, and regional levels; the creation of a mentorship program that partners new fishermen with retirees and vessel owners; and the financial support for training and education in such areas as sustainable fishing practices and proper business protocols.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Senators Markey and Warren, and Reps. Moulton and Keating Request USDA Continue Purchasing Atlantic Seafood for Food Banks

October 21, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.):

Today, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) and Rep. William Keating (MA-09) wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to express appreciation for the inclusion of Atlantic seafood in Section 32 purchases, based on requests from the Massachusetts lawmakers during the coronavirus pandemic, and to ask that the USDA continue to dedicate funds to the purchase of Atlantic pollock, haddock, and redfish. On May 4, the USDA announced a $20 million solicitation for these fish, but thus far only a single $4.4 million contract has been made. The lawmakers encourage the USDA to continue to dedicate the remaining funds to the purchase of more Atlantic seafood and to build on these initial partnerships by including the New England seafood industry in other USDA procurement programs, like the National School Lunch Program.

“Steady demand from regular USDA purchases will further support the industry’s recovery from the pandemic, help businesses operate with additional certainty, and direct surplus products to supply healthy meals to American families,” write the lawmakers. “We ask that the USDA continue to dedicate those funds specifically to the purchase of Atlantic pollock, haddock, and redfish. Section 32 purchasing is a new type of market opportunity for Atlantic fishermen and processors and surplus stocks will remain accessible throughout next year.”

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

Blue Harvest to supply $4.4 million in seafood for schools, food banks

September 25, 2020 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is buying more than $4.4 million in Northeast groundfish from Blue Harvest Fisheries, which will process the products for distribution to schools and food banks across the country.

The $4,425,480 purchase award from the USDA Commodity Procurement Program to will buy haddock, ocean perch and Atlantic pollock, with deliveries from the Blue Harvest facility in New Bedford, Mass., to begin Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.

It’s the first time in decades that East Coast seafood has been included in the commodities program, which buys farm products for distribution to institutions, nonprofit groups and needy households.

“Given the uncertainties surrounding the seafood market during the ongoing pandemic, this order will help ensure that the groundfish industry at the New Bedford waterfront can continue working, while providing food security for those who need it most,” Blue Harvest CEO Keith Decker said in a prepared statement announcing the purchase.

Company officials credited the Trump administration and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue for bringing East Coast fisheries in the program. They thanked members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Reps. William Keating and Seth Moulton, all D-Mass., who in May asked Perdue to include East Coast seafood when making purchase agreements funded by the special Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and the USDA’s longstanding Section 32 program.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

USDA Will Purchase $4.4 Million of Blue Harvest’s Sustainable, New Bedford Groundfish

September 22, 2020 — The following was released by Blue Harvest Fisheries:

Blue Harvest Fisheries is pleased to announce that it has been granted a $4,425,480 purchase award to supply local, sustainably harvested haddock, ocean perch and Atlantic pollock to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The purchase, part of the Department’s Commodity Procurement Program, will be used to distribute Blue Harvest’s all-natural, IQF groundfish  to schools, food banks, and households across the United States.

According to the USDA, the Commodity Procurement Program is “a vital component of our nation’s food safety net” that provides “wholesome, high quality products” to communities across the country.

Deliveries will start on October 1 and run through December 31. All of the fish utilized for this program will be harvested by American-flagged vessels from MSC-certified fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. They’ll be processed at Blue Harvest’s dock-side facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts before being distributed to recipients nationwide.

“We are delighted that the USDA has selected Blue Harvest to bring high-quality seafood to deserving Americans across the country,” said Keith Decker, CEO of Blue Harvest. “Given the uncertainties surrounding the seafood market during the ongoing pandemic, this order will help ensure that the groundfish industry at the New Bedford waterfront can continue working, while providing food security for those who need it most.”

Blue Harvest thanks Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, USDA staff, and the Trump Administration for expanding the Commodity Procurement Program to include East Coast seafood for the first time in decades.

The company is deeply grateful to Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congressmen William Keating (D-MA-09) and Seth Moulton (D-MA-06) who first took the initiative on this issue. In May, they wrote to Secretary Perdue to ask that the USDA include East Coast seafood in purchasing agreements funded by the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and the Section 32 program.

“I am pleased that the USDA is supporting fishermen by purchasing seafood from the Port of New Bedford, the nation’s top commercial fishing port, during a pandemic that has affected every sector of the economy,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell. “I am grateful to Secretary Perdue for his support of the seafood industry, and to our congressional delegation for their advocacy on behalf of our port and our state’s commercial fishermen.”

The USDA Commodity Procurement Program has long been vital in supporting U.S. agriculture, as well as seafood producers in other parts of the country. We hope that the program’s expansion to include East Coast seafood is the start of a productive, long-term relationship with the USDA.

Senators Markey, Warren Question NOAA’s Lack of Consistency When it Comes to Northeast Observer Cove

August 21, 2020 — Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren are adding their names to the list of politicians questioning NOAA over their decision to reinstate at-sea monitors and observer coverage in the Northeast.

Observers and at-sea monitors for those in the Northeast were reinstated this past Friday, August 14. The requirement to carry observers on board had been waived for months due to health and safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus. However, NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver announced last month that the waiver would be lifted because “observers create no more risk than crew members.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

Sens. Markey and Warren press NOAA on observer redeployment while stock surveys remain suspended due to COVID-19

August 19, 2020 — The following was released by The Offices of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey (D-MA):

Dear Acting Administrator Jacobs:

We write regarding steps that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has taken during the COVID-19 pandemic to manage fisheries stocks in the Northeast. We appreciate the challenges your agency faces in balancing the safety of NOAA employees, observers, fishermen, and broader communities with regulatory requirements for monitoring, observations, and surveys. However, we question the lack of consistency between the current operational plan for monitoring and observation and that for ecosystem surveys.

The dangers posed to the health of both fishing boat crews and observers led NOAA to temporarily waive at-sea monitor and observer coverage in the Northeast. The size of fishing vessels and the nature of the work makes social distancing a challenge, and the cross-jurisdictional nature of the Northeast fishery—with both observers and fishermen often traveling and working across state lines—provides an additional element of risk and complication. NOAA has provided guidance on how fishermen can seek additional waivers for coverage, but directed that at-sea observers and monitors redeploy starting on August 14, 2020.

Read the full letter here

Senators Markey and Warren, and Reps. Moulton and Keating Call for Mass. Lobster Industry to be Included in Lobster Tariff Assistance

July 1, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.):

Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Seth Moulton (MA-06), and William R. Keating (MA-09) wrote to the Trump administration urging it to fairly include the Massachusetts lobster industry in any discussions or distribution of trade relief assistance provided to the lobster industry and seafood producers in response to China’s retaliatory tariffs. The Trump administration issued a memorandum on June 25, 2020 that instructed Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to assess the need for assistance and the impact by the retaliatory tariffs on Maine and other affected states. Massachusetts has the second-largest lobster industry of any state, and since the tariffs were imposed in 2018, national lobster sales to China have fallen by 66 percent – from approximately $138 million in 2018 to $47 million in 2019.  In addition to the impacts of China’s retaliatory tariffs, the lobster industry has been suffering from the impacts of the Canadian-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, which provides tariff-free access for Canadian lobster products sold in the EU, and the coronavirus pandemic, which has shuttered restaurants and eliminated a primary source of domestic consumption.

“These challenges create a direct need for assistance to this industry, and we urge you to include Massachusetts lobstermen in your efforts to assess how and whether that aid will be distributed,” write the lawmakers in their letter. “This relief could help many small business owners withstand the ongoing economic crisis and preserve a key part of New England’s cultural identity.”
 
A copy of the letter can be found HERE. 
 
The Massachusetts lawmakers, led by Senator Markey, have championed the swift, equitable, and transparent allocation of financial aid to fishery participants during the coronavirus pandemic and secured a $20 million U.S. Department of Agriculture procurement of Atlantic seafood in May.  Senators Markey and Warren, and Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan successfully called on Senate leadership to include support for the fishing industry in coronavirus economic relief packages, of which Massachusetts received $28 million. On June 6, Senators Markey and Warren wrote to Senate leadership and asked for an additional $500 million in fisheries assistance in order to make the fishing and seafood industries in Massachusetts whole from the effects of the pandemic.