House Subcommittee on Water Oceans and Wildlife Archives

Huffman to Postpone Fisheries Listening Tour Amid Public Health Crisis

March 12, 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, today announced that he will be postponing the remaining stops on his nationwide fisheries listening tour in an abundance of caution during the coronavirus outbreak.

“The public health crisis from the coronavirus is escalating, and health officials have advised against large gatherings as a preventative measure. In accordance with advice from the Centers for Disease Control, I will postpone the remaining sessions of my listening tour until further notice,” said Rep. Huffman. “I remain committed to completing this tour with additional regional discussions and gathering input from as many stakeholders as possible on reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act. As we work through this pandemic, I invite everyone, particularly those in regions I have not yet been able to visit, to submit their comments and read up on the Magnuson-Stevens Act on my website.”

To submit your comment, simply visit https://huffman.house.gov/msa/comments and fill out the form at the bottom of the page.

Rep. Huffman’s goal for this listening tour has been to assess whether improvements to the Magnuson-Stevens Act are needed and if so, what they should be. More information, a public comment page, and the full press release for this tour can be found on our website here.

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.

Huffman in Seattle, WA for Next Stop on Fisheries Listening Tour

November 21, 2019 — 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, will be hosting the next stop on his listening tour tomorrow, Friday, November 22, at 1:45p.m. in Seattle, Washington. This is the third stop on a nationwide listening tour on federal fisheries management designed to engage diverse perspectives, interests, and needs of individuals who have a stake in the management of federal ocean and fisheries resources. The event is free and open to the public and press.

Members of the press interested in attending should submit their RSVP to Mary Hurrell atmary.hurrell@mail.house.gov.

WHO: Congressman Jared Huffman, fisheries and oceans experts

WHAT: Discussion on federal fisheries management

WHEN: Friday, November 22, 2019 @ 1:45p.m. – 3:45p.m. PST

WHERE: Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way, Pier 59, Seattle, WA 98101-2015

Representative Huffman’s 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 submit written questions during the roundtable and provide public comments at its conclusion.

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

Huffman Announces Seattle, WA as Next Stop on Fisheries Listening Tour

November 19, 2019 — 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, announced today that he will be hosting the next stop on his listening tour on Friday, November 22, at 1:45p.m. in Seattle, Washington. This is the third stop on a nationwide listening tour on federal fisheries management designed to engage diverse perspectives, interests, and needs of individuals who have a stake in the management of federal ocean and fisheries resources. The event is free and open to the public and press.

Members of the press interested in attending should submit their RSVP to Mary Hurrell at mary.hurrell@mail.house.gov.

WHO: Congressman Jared Huffman, fisheries and oceans experts

WHAT: Discussion on federal fisheries management

WHEN: Friday, November 22, 2019 @ 1:45p.m. – 3:45p.m. PST

WHERE: Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way, Pier 59, Seattle, WA 98101-2015

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

Rep. Jared Huffman Hosts Next Fisheries Listening Session Tomorrow in Baltimore

November 14, 2019 — 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, announced today that he will be hosting the next stop on his listening tour on Friday, November 15, at 1:30 p.m. in Baltimore, Maryland. This is the third stop on a nationwide listening tour on federal fisheries management designed to engage diverse perspectives, interests, and needs of individuals who have a stake in the management of federal ocean and fisheries resources. The event is free and open to the public and press.

Members of the press interested in attending should submit their RSVP to Mary Hurrell at mary.hurrell@mail.house.gov.

WHO: Congressman Jared Huffman, fisheries and oceans experts

WHAT: Discussion on federal fisheries management

WHEN: Friday, November 15, 2019 @ 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. EST

WHERE: National Aquarium Animal Care and Rescue Center

901 E Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD
Lou and Nancy Grasmick Classroom
Please click here for a map of the location.

Link for the public to register for the Baltimore event

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

Rep. Huffman Gets Bleak Input on Fisheries

October 11, 2019 — Long before the first refugees from the city planted cannabis seeds in the hills of Southern Humboldt, fishermen braved the seas in summer and winter to bring back crab, salmon, rockfish, lingcod and a variety of other seafood.

It was always considered a reliable — if dangerous — way to make a living.

Things have changed. A hodgepodge of rising costs, shrinking fish stocks, impossible bureaucratic requirements and crumbling on-shore infrastructure is gradually driving people out of Humboldt’s oldest occupation.

On Oct. 5, North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman held a public meeting in Arcata to discuss updating the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the federal legislation that governs ocean fishing.

Huffman brought together a roundtable of regional and local officials, a Humboldt State University professor and a few representatives of the local fishing industry to offer feedback on the failings — and successes — of the MSA. Later in the meeting, he also took comments from the 35 or so members of the general public attending the meeting at the D Street Community Center.

Aside from some initial remarks, Huffman did not say much, noting that he was there to listen and gather feedback from the community. He will hold similar meetings on a “listening tour” of fishing communities all over the country in his role as chair of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife.

Read the full story at The North Coast Journal

Rep. Huffman Announces First Fisheries Roundtable Events in Arcata and San Francisco, CA

October 2, 2019 — 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, announced today that his first two fisheries roundtable discussions will be held in Northern California; the first on Saturday, October 5th, at 2:30 p.m. in Arcata, California, and the second on Monday, October 7th, at 1:00 p.m. in San Francisco. These are the initial stops on a nationwide listening tour on federal fisheries management designed to engage diverse perspectives, interests, and needs of individuals who have a stake in management of federal ocean and fisheries resources. The events are both free and open to the public and press.

Arcata roundtable:
WHO: Congressman Jared Huffman, fisheries and oceans experts
WHAT: Roundtable discussion on federal fisheries management
WHEN: October 5, 2019, 2:30-4:30 PM
WHERE: D Street Community Center, 1301 D Street, Arcata, CA 95521

San Francisco roundtable:
WHO: Congressman Jared Huffman, fisheries and oceans experts
WHAT: Roundtable discussion on federal fisheries management
WHEN: October 7, 2019, 1:00-3:00 PM
WHERE: Aquarium of the Bay – Farallon room, Pier 39 Embarcadero & Beach St, San Francisco CA 94133

Each of Huffman’s roundtable panel discussions 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 submit written questions during the roundtable and provide public comments at its conclusion. Members of the public can register for the events and submit questions ahead of time:

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

NOAA admin defends budget in House oversight hearing

May 24, 2019 — There’s likely going to be no more withering nor efficient criticism of the Trump administration’s coastal economic and environmental policy goals than U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman launched into at the outset of a U.S. House subcommittee meeting Tuesday.

The House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife met to discuss the administration’s fiscal year 2020 budgets for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The California Democrat said the Trump administration’s proposed budget shows the president “does not value oceans, wildlife or the communities that depend on healthy ecosystems.”

Huffman cited a $250 million cut to USFWS and a nearly $1 billion cut to NOAA. He said some Republican members of the subcommittee may find these cuts wise, though he did not.

“From climate change denial to a national debt that’s ballooning thanks to huge tax cuts to billionaires, to budgets like this that abrogate any notion of stewardship for future generations, young people today could be forgiven for thinking that the generation currently in power is reckless and hedonistic.”

U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., indeed did say the proposed cuts in the budget were not only the proper way to go, but should go further in consolidating perceived overlaps between NOAA and USFWS and cutting away more spending programs.

Read the full story at The Brunswick News