Saving Seafood

Biden signs FISHES Act to improve fisheries disaster relief

January 7, 2025 — In one of his last acts as president, U.S. President Joe Biden has signed legislation designed to speed up the delivery of fishery disaster relief funding to fishers.

The legislation was spurred on by growing frustration among lawmakers over how long it takes the U.S. Department of Commerce to certify fishery disasters took place and approve state and Tribal spending plans to distribute federally funded financial relief to affected fishers and affiliated businesses. Often, years will pass between the initial request for a fishery disaster determination and checks being delivered to struggling fishers.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Relief comes for Alaskan fisheries via FISHES Act

January 7, 2025 — The FISHES Act, which expedites the distribution of federal disaster relief following fishery disaster declarations, was signed into law over the weekend by President Joe Biden.

The FISHES (Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles Post Emergency Situation) Act establishes procedures for reviewing spending plans submitted to the Department of Commerce by those seeking fishery resource disaster assistance funding.

Previously, the Office of Management and Budget had a 15-step process when overseeing a fishery disaster.

“Rapidly changing ocean conditions in recent years has led to significantly more federal fishery disaster declarations in Alaska, and it takes years to receive disaster monies,” Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Executive Director Rebecca Skinner said in a statement.

Read the full article at Alaska News Service

Senate approves fisheries, critical mineral bills

December 23, 2024 — The Senate on Friday approved legislation to address fishery disasters and critical mineral supply issues. Both bills will go to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

The chamber passed by unanimous consent H.R. 5103, the “Fishery Improvement to Streamline untimely regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation (FISHES) Act,” from Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).

The bill, which already cleared the House, would speed up the process of doling out fishery disaster relief. It would set deadlines for the Office of Management and Budget to respond to NOAA fishery funding requests.

Read the full article at The New York Times

FLORIDA: Lifeline could be coming for fisheries still reeling from Ian

December 16, 2024 — We all remember the images of shrimp boats stacked on top of each other after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida. It wasn’t just the shrimp boats, but also fish houses and much of the rest of the fishing industry was severely damaged as well. Over two years later, federal aid has yet come.

A bill recently passed by voice vote in the House of Representatives could throw a lifeline post-disaster to American fisheries.

House Bill 5103 (Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situations) FISHES Act passed in House in early December to help streamline the process for fisheries to receive aid.

“As we saw in Southwest Florida, time of the essence once a disaster hits,” said Florida Congressman Byron Donalds (R).

But in the past, federal aid to fisheries only came after a long grueling review process that took years. Something that Congressman Donalds is looking to change with the FISHES Act.

“What the FISHES Act does, it makes two review processes happen concurrently and requires a response to the property owner happens within 90 days,” said Rep. Donalds.

Read the full article at Fox 4

Florida Rep. Announces FISHES Act Legislation Aimed at Expediting Fisheries Disaster Relief

September 19, 2024 — Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) announced that a broad coalition of members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate, and organizations supports the FISHES Act, which aims to expedite fisheries disaster relief.

Donalds’ FISHES Act was described as bipartisan legislation aimed at improving the federal regulatory process association with fishery disaster relief allocation. The bill wants to expedite fisheries disaster relief once declarations are confirmed, something that Donalds has become familiar with as Florida has requested relief on six separate occasions since 2012.

“Following Hurricane Ian, Southwest Florida’s seafood industry incurred catastrophic devastation and its impact still persists,” said Donalds. “Waterways are the lifeblood of our economy and our community. It has always been my commitment to advocate for the vitality of water—which ultimately benefits countless families, businesses, and the overall development of Florida’s 19th Congressional District. I am proud to have introduced the bipartisan FISHES Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I thank Senator Scott for introducing this critical piece of legislation in the U.S. Senate.”

Read the full article at Seafoodnews.com

US lawmakers push to improve distribution of fishery disaster aid

August 28, 2024 — U.S. federal legislators are coalescing around a bill to streamline the government’s process for doling out financial relief related to fishery disasters.

Even when a request for aid is swiftly filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), it can take several months to multiple years for fishers to receive federal money. For fishers who often live on tight margins, surviving the loss of income from a fishery disaster for long periods without federal relief is a difficult prospect

Read the full article at SeafoodSource