Saving Seafood

Sullivan, Murkowski Welcome Signing of American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act

May 18, 2022 — The following was released by the Office of Dan Sullivan:

President Joe Biden this week signed the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act into law, bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and cosponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that will create an industry-led committee to assist in the administration of federal fisheries marketing, research, and development grants. 

“For the past 50 years, Alaska’s and America’s fishermen have lacked a meaningful seat at the table in the important Saltonstall-Kennedy federal grant process—a frustration brought to my attention by a fisherman from Kodiak back in 2015,” said Sen. Sullivan. “I made a commitment to my constituents to get this fixed, and this week, we delivered. With the signing of the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act, Alaskans will once again have a voice in directing the millions of federal grant dollars toward the priorities and needs of the fishing industry. I thank my colleagues for helping us get this important legislation passed, and for ensuring our fisheries remain the healthiest and most sustainably-managed in the world.”

“Supporting Alaska’s fisheries continues to be one of my top priorities. I’m excited that this bipartisan legislation, which will uplift our fishermen and women and invest in Alaska’s world-class fisheries, has been signed into law,” said Sen. Murkowski. “The American Fisheries Advisory Committee will award grants for research and development projects based on the unique needs of Alaska’s fishing community, ensuring future investments are going to the right communities based on local input. Senator Sullivan and I have worked hard to listen to the needs of our state, so I’m really proud to have shepherded a bill into law which ensures that the voices of fishermen in Alaska and across the nation are heard.”  

“I can’t express enough my gratitude to Senator Sullivan, Senator Murkowski, the late great Congressman Young and the other bill co-sponsors for championing the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act over the finish line,” said Matt Alward, president of the United Fishermen of Alaska. “This effort to restore the original intention of the Saltonstall Kennedy Act was many years in the making and was a tremendous team effort. We look forward to the creation of the committee that will enable the SK grant funding to once again be directed by the US seafood industry to what they feel will best have a positive and impactful effect on all aspects of the seafood industry.”

“I am nearly at a loss for words to describe how excited I am that Senator Sullivan had the foresight to carry this great piece of legislation!” said Bruce Schactler, director of the National Seafood Marketing Coalition and the long-time marketing committee chair of the United Fishermen of Alaska. “With a lot of help from Senator Murkowski and our awesome, late Rep Don Young as well as congressional and industry friends from all over the U.S., Senator Sullivan and his talented staff were able to develop and pass this most valuable American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act! I believe that it has the potential to become one of the most powerful economic development tools for the U.S. seafood Industry since the 200-mile limit.” 

“The recreational fishing industry thanks Sen. Sullivan for his leadership on the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act, which will give fishermen from all sectors a seat at the table to determine important fisheries funding needs,” said Glenn Hughes, president of the American Sportfishing Association. “In Alaska, recreational fishing supports 12,640 jobs and has a $1.5 billion economic impact. This legislation demonstrates Sen. Sullivan’s continued support for marine fisheries and those whose livelihoods depend on them.” 

The Saltonstall-Kennedy (SK) Act provides funding for fisheries marketing, research, and development. These funds are derived from a portion of fishery import duties. To inform how these funds are allocated, Congress authorized a group of experts from different segments of the fishing industry to advise on commercial fishing problems and needs. Following a 1972 law, the original American Fisheries Advisory Committee was disbanded. In the committee’s absence, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) decides, by its own criteria, who receives grants. In some cases, the priorities of the fishing industry and Alaska fishermen do not match those of NMFS. The American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act would bring back the board of experts, with members chosen regionally and across all sectors of the fishing industry, to bring fishermen back into the process of identifying needs and funding priorities. 

In 2021, NMFS issued 43 grants worth $11 million. The American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act has garnered the support of a number of organizations, including the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, the United Fishermen of Alaska, and the North Pacific Fisheries Association. 

The American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act passed the Senate on March 10 and the House on April 26. The bill was also cosponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

 

For Offshore Wind, The Magic Numbers Are 30, 30, & 3

May 16, 2022 — Numerologists, sharpen your pencils. Last year President Joe Biden pitched an offshore wind goal of 30 gigawatts by 2030 for the US. Now California has just chimed in with a 3-gigawatt goal of its own. In the meantime, the relatively small nation of Norway has just let slip word of a 30-gigawatt goal, too. Norway might be the most interesting case among the three, considering that it already has 34 gigawatts in hydropower under its belt. So, what gives?

US Goes From (Practically) Zero To Thirty

The Atlantic coast alone has a 22-gigawatt potential, but so far just a few turbines are currently operating off the coast of only two Atlantic states, Rhode Island and Virginia. All together they add up to a handful of megawatts, while other nations are piling on the gigawatts.

The Obama administration did try to coordinate offshore wind development along the Atlantic coast, only to be stymied by coastal state governors, among other objectors. Then, the Trump administration dug in its heels against the US offshore wind industry, which is no surprise considering the former President’s notorious distaste for wind turbines, especially those located out at sea.

Actually, there was a surprise. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is a branch of the US Department of the Interior, apparently did not get the Trump administration’s offshore wind memo. BOEM continued to work on offshore lease auctions throughout the Trump administration. BOEM also put the finishing touches on a first-of-its-kind process aimed at speeding up the offshore permitting process.

Read the full story at CleanTechnica

N.J. offshore wind developer faces fishing industry opposition

May 16, 2022 — New Jersey offshore wind developer Orsted recently inked a deal to use all union labor for its projects along the East Coast.

Biden Administration officials helped broker the agreement between Orsted and North America’s Building Trades Unions, as part of its goal to generate 30 gigawatts of wind energy by 2030, while simultaneously developing green energy jobs.

Opposition by fishing industry

The group Ocean City Flooding opposes Orsted’s project off the coast of South Jersey and says the labor deal doesn’t take into account potential job losses in the fisheries industry.

“We support jobs for Americans, however, it should be noted that here in Cape May County Orsted has not committed to one job and in fact there will be a loss of jobs in the commercial fishing industry at the Cape May/Wildwood port,” said Suzanne Hornick, one of the group’s founders.

She says while the deal focuses on labor, other issues remain such as threats to marine life, migrating birds, the endangered Atlantic right whale, along with potential rate hikes and declining property values.

Read the full story at the Allegheny Front

Biden Signs Industry-Led American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act

May 16, 2022 — Yesterday morning President Biden signed into law Senate Bill 497 which creates an industry-led advisory committee within the Department of Commerce to assist in the awarding of fisheries research and development grants, including all Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) awards, and support the long-term vitality of American-caught seafood.

The law was passed overwhelmingly by both the House and Senate last month.

The S-K Act of 1954 established a program to provide funding for fisheries marketing, research, and development. The program is funded by a permanent appropriation of 30% of the previous calendar year’s customs receipts from imports of fish products. These funds have grown steadily from $26.7 million in 1980 to $182.8 million in 2020.

Read the full story at Seafood News

2nd Interior lease sale boosts N.C. offshore wind

May 13, 2022 — Developers bet big on the prospect of offshore wind in North Carolina yesterday in an auction that accelerates the momentum of the Biden administration’s offshore wind thrust — and proves the industry aims to grow its footprint in the southern Atlantic.

After an all-day bidding war, French oil giant TotalEnergies SE and southern utility Duke Energy Corp. pledged a combined $315 million for the right to raise turbines in the sea off the state’s coast.

The two lease areas sold yesterday by the Interior Department could support an estimated 1.3 gigawatts of wind power between them and total 110,000 acres in federal waters roughly 20 miles south of North Carolina’s Bald Head Island. That’s enough to potentially power a half-million homes (Energywire, March 25).

The sale is part of the Biden administration’s push to raise hundreds of offshore wind turbines — 30 gigawatts of clean energy — on the outer continental shelf by 2030. Offshore wind is a critical lever in the White House’s larger climate ambitions, to decarbonize the nation’s grid by 2035 and zero out emissions economywide by midcentury.

But the robust sale that closed after 17 rounds of bidding was widely seen also as a success for the industry’s regional prospects and the sector’s growing potential footprint in the U.S. energy mix.

Read the full story at E&E News

Biden signs Fisheries Advisory Committee Act into law

May 13, 2022 — U.S. President Joe Biden has signed a bill into law that establishes an industry-led panel to help federal officials oversee grant awards for fisheries.

The American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act was sponsored by U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and was signed by Biden on Thursday, 12 May, 2022. The law will create the American Fisheries Advisory Committee, a 22-member panel representing six regions across the country. Regional members will be selected from the seafood processing, commercial, and recreational sectors, and from experts in regional fishery science. At-large members will include a representative of the foodservice sector, someone from both the commercial and recreational fishing industries, and a NOAA Fisheries representative with a background in research.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

President Biden signs American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act into law

May 12, 2022 — This morning, President Biden signed into law Senate Bill 497, the “American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act,” which “requires the Department of Commerce to establish an American Fisheries Advisory Committee to assist in the awarding of fisheries research and development grants,” restore the voice of the fisheries’ most important stakeholders, and support the long-term vitality of American-caught seafood.

The Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) Act of 1954 established a program to provide funding for fisheries marketing, research, and development. The program is funded by a permanent appropriation of 30% of the previous calendar year’s customs receipts from imports of fish products. These funds have grown steadily from $26.7 million in 1980 to $182.8 million in 2020.

But since the early 1980s, Congress has directed NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to use these funds for stock assessments, fishing information networks, survey and monitoring projects, cooperative research, and “interjurisdictional functions.”

In 2021, only $11 million was left for grants to support the fishing industry. Critics have questioned whether this allocation reflects the original intent of the S-K Act.

To inform how grant funds are allocated, Congress originally authorized a group of experts from different segments of the fishing industry to advise on commercial fishing problems and needs. Following a 1972 law, the original American Fisheries Advisory Committee was disbanded. In the committee’s absence, NMFS decides, by its own criteria, who receives grants. Critics have questioned whether the priorities of commercial fishermen match those of NMFS, and whether the S-K Grant Program is addressing the needs and priorities of the domestic fishing industry.

The American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act reestablishes a board of experts, with members chosen regionally and across all sectors of the fishing industry, to bring fishermen back into the process of identifying needs and funding priorities.

S. 497 was sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and cosponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

More information about the Saltonstall-Kennedy grant program is available in this July 14, 2020 Congressional Research Service “Background and Issues” report by Harold F. Upton.  https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R46335.pdf

 

Progressive and export-dependent: Oregon is a test for Democrats on trade

April 25, 2022 — Democrats’ conflicting impulses over the future of U.S. trade policy are playing out here in the nation’s Pacific Northwest.

Oregon, in particular, embodies the tension: The state’s economy is highly dependent on free trade and yet its progressive-leaning voters are typically skeptical of its benefits. That tug-of-war is vexing both parties as lawmakers weigh how much to push for more foreign market access for U.S. companies and investors despite the potential for political backlash.

In his visit to Portland late last week, President Joe Biden touted his administration’s investments in ports, airports and other infrastructure projects to speed the movement of goods, while at the same time acknowledging that snarled supply chains have sparked historic inflation.

“All across Oregon, we’re sending the message: These ports and airports are open for more business,” Biden told the crowd at Portland International Airport.

While back home in Oregon last week, [Sen. Ron] Wyden joined [U.S. Trade Representative Katherine] Tai and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on tours of a commercial fishing vessel and semiconductor development facility. The trio heard from seafood industry groups who say they’re being bested on the global market by Chinese rivals who have been accused of overfishing waterways, taking government subsidies and using forced labor.

“On a good day, we struggle to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace,” said Lori Steele, executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. “Our days have not been good lately.”

Read the full story at Politico

These whales are on the brink. Now comes climate change — and wind power.

April 22, 2022 — About 17 nautical miles south of Nantucket, a half-dozen New England Aquarium researchers scrambled across this vessel’s icy deck. Clutching binoculars, clipboards and cameras, they strained to catch a glimpse and scribble notes about a pair of creatures they fear are disappearing from this world.

After nine hours on the water, Amy Warren’s team had found two animals it knew by name. As the pair arched their heads above the water, the research scientist urged her colleagues with cameras to capture them.

“Get it, get it, get it, get it!”

With only about 300 left, the North Atlantic right whale ranks as one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals. Nearly annihilated centuries ago by whalers, the slow-swimming species is said to have earned its name because it was the “right” whale to hunt.

Old-fashioned harpoons have yielded to other threats. Humans are still killing right whales at startlingly high numbers — but by accident. Waters free from whalers now brim with ships that strike them, and ropes that entangle them.

The latest challenges come in a changing climate. Rising temperatures are driving them to new seas. And soon, dozens of offshore wind turbines — part of President Biden’s clean energy agenda — will encroach their habitat as the administration tries to balance tackling global warming with protecting wildlife.

Read the full story at The Washington Post

Do Offshore Wind Turbines Impact Fishing?

April 20, 2022 — Offshore wind seems poised to set sail on U.S. coasts. According to the Department of Energy, the burgeoning electricity source has the potential to generate more than 2,000 gigawatts (GW) of capacity per year—nearly double the nation’s current electricity use. Last fall, the Interior Department announced the commencement of construction on the nation’s first commercial scale wind farm, 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard, and approved a deal for the second off Rhode Island. The Biden administration aspires to launch 16 such sites by 2025 and generate 30 GW of energy by 2030. But what impact will all the construction have on wildlife and fishing? A 10-year, $11 million U.S. Wind and University of Maryland study aims to find out.

Wind is the fastest growing energy source in the U.S., providing 42 percent of the country’s new energy in 2020. So far, most of that has come from land-based wind turbines. But, faster and steadier offshore wind speeds offer more potential. And as the cost of efficiently harnessing offshore wind has plummeted, that potential has soared.

But not everyone is pleased. A lone standoff last fall between a fishing boat and one of U.S. Winds’ giant research vessels symbolized the grievances of a key constituency: the ocean fishing community. Fishermen expressed concerns about damage to their equipment, disruption of the fishing grounds, and even the loss of their way of life. Annie Hawkins, the executive director of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a trade association representing commercial fishermen, told the Guardian, “The fishing industry feels very strongly that they still do not have a meaningful voice in the process nor an authentic seat at the table.”

Read the full story at Field & Stream