October 2, 2019 — The US commercial fishing industry isn’t likely to shed many tears over the recent news that the president Donald Trump administration is disbanding two federal advisory boards focused on maintaining marine protected areas (MPAs) and battling invasive species, Bob Vanasse, the founder of industry advocacy group Saving Seafood, told Undercurrent News.
The panels were improperly constituted, including many representatives from ocean conservation groups and even the recreational fishing industry but none from commercial harvesters, he said.
The government will no longer fund the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or the Department of the Interior’s (DOI’s) Invasive Species Advisory Committee, the two agencies confirmed on Tuesday. Both panels have been in operation for more than a decade.