April 8, 2022 — The bill to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is being put on hold until Alaskans elect a new member of Congress following the passing of Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young.

Young passed away on March 18 at the age of 88. As SeafoodNews editor Peggy Parker reported, Young was the historical constant in the evolution of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, serving in the house when Senator Ted Stevens represented Alaska in the Senate, and he and Washington Senator Warren Magnusen introduced the original legislation. Young introduced legislation two years ago with several updates to the law.

Now, Representative Jared Huffman, the chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, said his bill to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act will be put on hold until a replacement for Young is elected.

Read the full story at Seafood News

April 6, 2022 — The death of Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young will delay consideration of a long-awaited overhaul of the nation’s premier fishing law.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, said his bill to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, a 1976 law, will be put on hold until Alaskans elect a replacement for Young, who died on March 18 at the age of 88.

“Although we often differed politically, we were always able to have productive conversations when it came to fisheries management, and he was a brilliant negotiator for this landmark bill,” Huffman said in a statement.

Calling Young’s death “a tremendous loss for Alaska, the country and all of us who had the honor of working with him,” Huffman said he wanted to wait until a successor is elected this summer to “ensure the voices of the Alaskan people are represented” before the bill moves through the House.

“I am grateful for the progress Rep. Young and I accomplished together as we neared the finish line with this bill, and I look forward to finalizing it with whomever takes the torch from the venerable Don Young,” Huffman said.

Read the full story from the office of Congressman Jared Huffman