June 5, 2025 — Deputy executive director Jamie O’Connor of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC) and fifth-generation Bristol Bay salmon fisherman testifies before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries.
The Subcommittee heard testimony from five people during an oversight hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.”
Representing AMCC and the Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC)—a national alliance of more than 1,000 small-boat fishermen coast-to-coast—O’Connor emphasized the urgent need for robust funding and staffing of NOAA, calling them the “scientific and regulatory guardrails” that enable the seafood sector to function effectively, fairly, and sustainably.
“Without a strong and functioning NOAA, we’re not just losing data—we’re losing stability, credibility, and the ability for coastal communities to thrive,” O’Connor said during her testimony. “This is not red tape—it’s our food supply, our economic health, and the future of wild seafood in America.”
FCC members across the country echoed O’Connor’s call for action, demonstrating alignment throughout America’s coastlines around core challenges and values.
“The testimony from our colleague at AMCC detailed many of the same challenges we face on the other side of the country, here on Cape Cod,” said Aubrey Church, fisheries policy director for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. “Commercial fishermen are the economic backbone of our coastal communities, part of a centuries-old tradition of going to sea to not only feed their families, but the nation.”
In addition to highlighting the risks of an underfunded NOAA, O’Connor’s testimony pointed to the outsized returns to be found through meaningful investment in waterfront infrastructure.
“We urgently need investments in our working waterfronts to safeguard access to the water,” Church said, “access that is not only vital to sustaining our jobs, but also fundamental to preserving coastal ways of life.”