Saving Seafood

Huffman, Graves want Biden to make “strong statement” against IUU

June 6, 2022 — Two U.S. lawmakers pushing the federal government to take broader action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing are asking U.S. President Joe Biden to take action ahead of a key international conference.

U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Garret Graves (R-La.) sent the letter on 2 June 2022, saying the country has the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the fight against IUU ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, which starts on 27 June. The conference – as well as June being World Oceans Month – presents an opportunity for the U.S. to make a “strong statement,” they said in the three-page letter.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Bill to Reauthorize Magnuson-Stevens Act Delayed Until Alaska Elects New Member of Congress

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

Don Young’s death will delay fisheries law overhaul

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

Rep. Huffman Statement on Status of Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization

March 25, 2022 — The following was released by the office of Rep. Jared Huffman:

Today, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) released the following statement regarding the status of his Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) reauthorization legislation, the Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act, in light of Congressman Don Young’s passing:

“Over the past three years, I have worked to update and reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act – traveling coast to coast to hear from stakeholders, releasing discussion drafts for public review, and partnering with lawmakers from across the country in what has been a uniquely inclusive and comprehensive process. As part of this effort, I have had the privilege to work closely with the MSA’s original author, Congressman Don Young,” said Rep. Huffman. “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. His death is a tremendous loss for Alaska, the country, and all of us who had the honor of working with him. I’ve always said it’s important all voices be heard in this MSA reauthorization process – and so, we will be pausing further committee consideration of the legislation until his replacement is elected and we can ensure the voices of the Alaskan people are represented before the bill advances further 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.”

More information on the Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act and the reauthorization process can be found here.

Huffman, Graves get AIS provision included in Coast Guard bill

March 4, 2022 — Two U.S. representatives who have worked across the aisle to combat illegal fishing practices succeeded on Wednesday, 2 March, in amending a Coast Guard funding bill to include a requirement for more fishing vessels to install tracking systems.

U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman (D-California) and Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) say requiring boats that are at least 65 feet in length to have automatic identification systems (AIS) technology on board. A grant program that includes USD 5 million (EUR 4.5 million) would be made available to help boat owners purchase the equipment.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Huffman brings back Salmon FISH Act

January 26, 2022 — On Tuesday, Jan. 25, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), reintroduced the Salmon Focused Investments in Sustainable Habitats Act. The bill, introduced first in October 2019, seeks to identify, restore, and protect the most outstanding salmon rivers and watersheds in America, and to ensure funding needed to sustain thriving salmon populations.

Habitat degradation, pollution, dams, overharvesting, climate change, and other factors have caused salmon populations to decline across the country, severely impacting Tribes, fishermen, and the communities that depend on them, according to a release from Huffman.

“The ecological, cultural, and economic importance of salmon is hard to overstate; they support tens of thousands of jobs, sustain fishing communities, generate billions of dollars in economic activity, and provide a food source for millions of people. They also hold immense cultural significance for Tribes, like many in my district, who have fished for salmon since time immemorial,” said Huffman, chair of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife and Co-Chair of the Congressional Wild Salmon Caucus.

Stakeholders in Bristol Bay and Southeast Alaska have been fighting for salmon habitat protections from Pebble Mine and logging in the Tongass National Forest.

Read the full story from National Fisherman

 

Scientists pen letter to Congress urging SIMP expansion

December 16, 2021 — More than 100 scientists signed a letter sent to Congress on Monday, 13 December, urging lawmakers to ensure that all seafood products imported into the United States are caught using legal means.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is often associated with human trafficking and other human rights abuses, and distant-water fishing forces vessel owners and operators to extend trips to “achieve a sizeable catch,” the university professors, research fellows, and scientists claimed in the two-page letter. In order to get that kind of catch, some operators will use forced labor and harvest fishing stocks beyond allowable limits, they alleged.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

NOAA, groups back adding climate mandates to fishing law

November 18, 2021 — The following was released by the office of Rep. Jared Huffman:

NOAA’s top fisheries official yesterday endorsed a plan that would require the agency for the first time in its history to add climate change requirements to its management of the nation’s fish stocks.

“Fisheries management must continue to adapt as our ocean ecosystem faces unprecedented changes due to climate change,” Janet Coit, the head of NOAA Fisheries, told a House Natural Resources panel.

Testifying before the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, Coit said NOAA appreciates “the overarching climate focus” of a proposed overhaul of the nation’s primary fishing law, the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Coit weighed in as the subcommittee heard testimony on a bill, H.R. 4690, sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), that would reauthorize the law and require NOAA to create plans for “climate ready fisheries.”

If approved, it would mark the first time that climate change received a mention in the federal fishing law, which Congress last reauthorized in 2006.

Read the full release from the office of Rep. Jared Huffman

A Tale of Two Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization Bills

November 18, 2021 — On Tuesday the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife examined Congressman Don Young’s Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) reauthorization bill and Subcommittee Chairman Representative Jared Huffman’s MSA reauthorization bill.

“Alaska’s seafood industry is one of the primary drivers of our economy, and for over forty years, the Magnuson-Stevens Act has allowed our fishermen, processors, and coastal communities to thrive,” said Congressman Young. “It has also assisted in the preservation of subsistence and recreational fishing, which are both essential to our state’s way of life.”

Congressman Young, along with Congressman Gerry Studds, first drafted the bipartisan legislation in 1976. And now Young says that he’s ready to continue defending the bill in Congress.

“The truth is MSA has worked and worked well,” explained Young. “As with any law, it is wise to ensure policies keep pace with changing times. While I believe some changes merit discussion, I do not believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

MSA reauthorization debated in US House of Representatives

November 18, 2021 — Two bills that would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act received a hearing on Tuesday, 16 November, in the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.

As U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) said in a statement, the hearing was “one of contrasts,” as lawmakers reviewed his proposal and one by Subcommittee Chairman Jared Huffman (D-California). Young said Huffman’s bill would take authority away from fishing councils and give it to the U.S. Commerce Secretary. While he agrees with Huffman that some changes should be discussed, Young said the chairman’s bill goes too far.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource