Saving Seafood

Senators Reintroduce National Ocean Exploration Act

February 25, 2021 — The following was released by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member and chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, along with Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, yesterday reintroduced the National Ocean Exploration Act. The bill would authorize the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization Council, update national priorities for ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization, and direct the Council to coordinate and facilitate activities across federal and non-federal entities to advance those priorities.

“We need to improve the way we map, explore, and characterize the deep seas,” said Wicker. “This bill would serve as a catalyst for new underwater discoveries. It would make important information available through multi-sector partnerships and ensure the ocean remains a valuable source of American prosperity.”

“This bill will elevate ocean science at NOAA and across federal agencies, it will renew a focus on mapping and ocean research, and it will allow for innovative partnerships and cooperative agreements to expand our ocean exploration efforts,” said Cantwell. “NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Program supports Pacific Northwest research from mapping the Arctic to facilitate shipping, tourism and commerce, to exploring the biological and cultural importance of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.”

“With Alaska’s vast coastline and our changing climate, the responsible exploration, stewardship, and development of our nation’s oceans is as important as ever,” said Murkowski. “I’m proud to join in sponsoring this broad legislation to establish a robust national ocean exploration program designed to modernize and move forward nationwide priorities for ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization. This comprehensive bill reauthorizes key NOAA programs that support ocean and coastal mapping, hydrographic surveys, and spatial data collection. It also includes funding increases that will allow the federal government to continue investing in this critical work. For a state as undermapped as Alaska, sustained federal attention and investment into ocean mapping will be absolutely imperative to close the charting backlog in the Arctic and bring our spatial datasets into the 21st century. Alongside my and Senator Whitehouse’s BLUE GLOBE Act, I am pleased to see this legislation advance our knowledge of our ocean spaces to ensure that we can capitalize on opportunities to strengthen Alaska’s and America’s blue economy.”

“There’s still so much to learn about the oceans,” said Whitehouse. “Rhode Island’s Blue Economy stands to benefit from more and better ocean mapping, and an improved understanding of our most important natural resource.”

“We still have more to learn from Papahanaumokuakea,” said Schatz. “Strengthening NOAA’s ocean exploration program will increase both the tempo of discovery, and the capacity to manage this Marine National Monument and World Heritage Site.”

The National Ocean Exploration Act would:

  • Authorize and improve the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization Council;
  • Reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s existing Ocean Exploration, Ocean and Coastal Mapping, and Hydrographic Services programs from fiscal years 2021 to 2030; and
  • Establish a system to enhance the public accessibility of ocean-related National Environmental Policy Act documents and the geo-referenced data included in them.

Click here to read the bill.

LEIGH HABEGGER: Alaska fisheries and restaurants need immediate relief

November 5, 2020 — Alaska is often referred to as the “seafood powerhouse,” and rightfully so. With more than 50% of our country’s seafood landed here, options for seafood are plentiful — whether you’re looking for a buttery halibut fillet to go with a glass of chardonnay or a cod sandwich and cold beer. But our fishermen and our restaurant partners are struggling because of COVID-19.

In addition to supplying Americans and the world with some of the freshest, most sustainable seafood, the state’s seafood industry created $5.6 billion in total annual economic activity for Alaska in 2018. Fishing is a huge economic driver for the state. But, between March 1 and April 16 of this year, more than half of restaurants in Alaska closed temporarily and more than 80% of restaurant employees were laid off or furloughed. We saw halibut prices cut in half practically overnight.

Nationwide, independent restaurants have lost more jobs than any other industry, affecting 11 million employees within the industry and more than 5 million workers they support in the supply chain. Alaska is no different: Leisure and hospitality have accounted for 38% of all jobs lost in our state during the pandemic. This pandemic directly endangers the 31,800 Alaskans working restaurant and food service jobs, and the countless farmers, fishermmen and other livelihoods that depend on restaurants’ supply chains.

Read the full opinion piece at the Anchorage Daily News

Aquaculture advancement would benefit Mississippi’s economy

October 6, 2020 — During the past several months, Mississippians have faced many challenging situations. One way that we can embark on a path to recovery to grow our economy, create jobs and support our industries is by increasing the production of sustainable seafood through aquaculture.

Offshore aquaculture, the process of cultivating farm-raised fish in an ocean environment, is a safe and resource-efficient way to produce protein. In fact, it has a much lower environmental impact than other forms of food manufacturing.

Domestic aquaculture will complement wild fishing to increase American seafood production, provide jobs in communities along the Gulf Coast, and help revitalize our local seafood industry, which has faced devastating economic impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full story at the Clarion Ledger

Floating fish farms in Gulf of Mexico could get green light with Congressional bill

September 30, 2020 — A new bill in Congress would open the Gulf of Mexico and other federal waters to offshore fish farming, a controversial idea backed by President Donald Trump’s administration but opposed by environmental groups and elements of the seafood industry that depend on wild fisheries.

Introduced Thursday and sponsored by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act aims to accomplish what a recent federal court decision said was impossible unless Congress intervened.

Last month, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans blocked federal rules that would have allowed offshore fish farming for the first time in the Gulf, considered potentially a prime area for raising high-value fish in large floating pens. The court said federal regulators lack the authority to “create an entire industry” not mentioned in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary law governing fisheries since 1976.

Read the full story at NOLA.com

Senate bill would establish U.S. offshore aquaculture rules

September 28, 2020 — A bill newly introduced in the Senate would establish a federal regulatory system for offshore aquaculture, opening a pathway to large-scale fishing farming in the U.S. exclusive economic zone.

Sponsored by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), bill S-4723 would clear the way for the Department of Commerce in its drive to create new aquaculture zones – an effort so far stymied by the federal courts.

In an Aug. 3 decision, the Fifth Court of Appeals upheld a 2018 lower court ruling that the Department of Commerce and NMFS lack legal authority to issue permits for aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico.

In its 2-1 decision, the appeals panel found in favor of critics who argued the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management grants the agency no power to permit fish farming in federal waters.

“If anyone is to expand the 40-year-old Magnuson-Stevens Act to reach aquaculture for the first time, it must be Congress,” according to the court’s opinion.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Wicker and Palazzo announce $21.3M Fishery Disaster Relief Fund for Mississippi

May 19, 2020 — U.S. Senator Roger Wicker and Rep. Steven Palazzo announced the allocation of $21,311,804 in federal fishery disaster relief funds to Mississippi. The U.S. Department of Commerce aid is being distributed in response to a prolonged period of freshwater inundation into the Gulf of Mexico that devastated Gulf Coast fisheries last year. The funds will be distributed by the state to cover losses by fishermen, aquaculture businesses, and seafood processors.

“These funds are welcome news for the many fishermen who suffered through last year’s unprecedented opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway, but our state deserves a long-term solution to disasters like these. I am working to reform the disaster relief process so that funds can be distributed quickly and directly to the people who need them most. I am also pushing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider alternatives to opening the Bonnet Carré Spillway so that we can minimize the risk of these disasters in the future,” said Wicker.

“These funds will begin supporting the ongoing recovery efforts from the devastation caused by the extended opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway last year. While we appreciate this assistance in our recovery, we must reform the way federal fisheries disasters are evaluated and approved,” said Palazzo. “As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I remain committed to allocating resources that will help restore our way of life in south Mississippi.”

Read the full story at WJTV

Rep. Huffman, Rep. Palazzo Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Federal Fisheries Disaster Relief Program

January 8, 2020 — The following was released by The Offices of Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) & Representative Steven Palazzo (R-MS):

Yesterday, Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Steven Palazzo (R-MS) introduced the Fishery Failures: Urgently Needed Disaster Declarations Act (Fishery FUNDD Act), which will improve the federal fishery disaster process and ensure more timely disaster relief for impacted communities. Rep. Kilmer (D-WA) and Rep. Herrera Beutler (R-WA) are original cosponsors. Senator Roger Wicker introduced similar legislation, which was approved by the Senate Commerce committee in late 2019.

 The Fishery FUNDD Act would set a timeline for the federal government to respond to a fishery disaster request, and set a timeline for disbursal of appropriated funds following a disaster. It will also clarify the disaster request process, including by allowing direct payments to be made to affected members of fishing communities as an eligible use of relief funds. Rep. Huffman, the Chair of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, is a long-time champion for improving federal fishing policy and providing relief for fishing communities affected by natural disasters and other fishery closures.

“Across the country, fishermen, tribes, and coastal communities depend on productive fisheries. However, far too many suffer while waiting for federal relief after unexpected disasters. On the North Coast of California, we’ve seen how ocean heat waves, domoic acid blooms, and drought have led to devastating consequences for our most important fisheries. As climate change impacts increase, it is more important than ever that we make sure fishing communities are as resilient as possible,” said Rep. Huffman. “That means ensuring the federal disaster relief process is implemented efficiently, and making sure funds are provided in a timely manner to those impacted by a fishery disaster. This bill will help make federal agencies more responsive to communities who have suffered a fishery disaster, while we continue to work in Congress to deliver the needed funds.”

“The Mississippi Gulf Coast has experienced significant seafood and marine life loss from the Bonnet Carré Spillway releasing an unprecedented amount of freshwater into the Mississippi Sound,” said Rep. Palazzo. “While Mississippi’s federal fisheries disaster declaration was approved within several months, this is unfortunately not the case for other communities around the nation. The Fishery FUNDD Act will streamline what has been a years-long process into a transparent system that will provide disaster relief to fishermen who have experienced harsh conditions out of their control.”

“In Washington, our coastal fisheries are an essential part of our local economies. In recent years, multiple disasters on our coasts have wreaked havoc on our fisheries and on the finances of the people who rely on them to make a living,” said Rep. Kilmer. “This bipartisan bill will expand eligibility for disaster funds so charter boat operators, processors, and other fishing related businesses that are impacted can get access to these critical relief and recovery funds. Importantly, because delays can damage communities, this bill will also increase accountability, ensuring that when the federal government commits to helping in the wake of disaster, our tribal, commercial, and recreational fishing communities see these relief and recovery funds on time and in full.”

“The failure of a fishing season is devastating to fishermen and their communities, but in recent years, the poor performance of our fishery disaster assistance program has itself become a disaster,” said Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “Fishery disasters impact port communities, but they also harm the broader economy and limit Americans’ access to domestic seafood. This important bill will enhance our commercial fishing safety net, ensuring that fishery disaster assistance reaches communities in need in weeks instead of years.”

This bill is the most recent step in Rep. Huffman’s career-long push to deliver federal disaster relief funds to fishing communities, including leading the effort to secure $29.65 million in federal assistance to North Coast fishing communities that suffered economic impacts due to disasters dating back to 2015.

Under current law, fishing communities can receive federal financial assistance when fish populations decline, during closed seasons, or if other disruptions cause economic losses. However, the disaster relief process has received criticism for being slow to respond to disaster requests and to allocate funds. The Fishery FUNDD Act clarifies the process and implements timelines for faster delivery of disaster relief to impacted communities.

Specifically, the bill:

  • Maintains the authority of the Secretary of Commerce to determine fishery disasters;
  • Specifies required information for disaster requests, guidelines for evaluation of requests, and required information for spend plans;
  • Specifies criteria for determinations based on revenue loss and includes consideration of impacts on charter fishing and subsistence uses;
  • Sets a 120-day timeline for the Secretary to evaluate a request, either upon receipt or immediately after the close of the fishery season, and sets a 90-day timeline for disbursal of appropriated funds after completed spend plans are submitted;
  • Specifies the eligible uses of fishery disaster relief funds, including direct payments to affected members of the fishing community, habitat restoration and conservation, management improvements, job training, public information campaigns, and preventative measures for future disasters, and would prioritize hiring fishermen displaced by the fishery disaster for this work;
  • Requires the Department of Commerce to make a request in its annual budget for outstanding, unfunded fishery disasters and requires a GAO report on how fishery managers are preparing for and adapting to the impacts of climate change, a major factor in recent fishery disasters; and,
  • Consolidates the legal framework for the federal fishery disaster declaration process under the Magnuson Stevens Act
  • Authorizes appropriations as necessary, including supplemental appropriations.

The text of the legislation, numbered H.R. 5548, may be found here.

US defense bill addresses IUU fishing domestically and abroad

December 17, 2019 — The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which funds the U.S. military for the 2020 fiscal year, includes provisions to combat illicit fishing and increase transparency in the seafood industry.

The bill’s fate had been in jeopardy because of questions over whether it would curtail President Donald Trump’s authority to spend defense money on the proposed border wall. Congressional negotiators kicked those negotiations down the road, and on Wednesday, 11 December, the House overwhelmingly passed the bill; bipartisan approval is expected to push it through the Senate, too.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Bill to streamline fishery disaster process clears Senate committee

November 15, 2019 — A U.S. Senate committee earlier this week passed a bill that would make changes to how NOAA Fisheries disaster relief program is managed.

On Wednesday, 13 November, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee passed S. 2346, the Fishery Failures: Urgently Needed Disaster Declarations Act. The bill sponsored by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), the committee’s chairman, calls for the disaster declaration to be streamlined by requiring the U.S. Commerce Secretary to evaluate a disaster request within 120 days.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Wicker aims to bolster U.S. seafood production

October 21, 2019 — U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, said he intends to reintroduce a bill that would improve domestic seafood production.

“America imports over 90 percent of the seafood we consume. Simply put, there is not enough fresh, healthy, and local seafood produced in the United States to meet consumer demand,” Sen. Wicker said in his opening statement to the committee during an Oct. 16 hearing on the state of the nation’s offshore aquaculture industry.

Sen. Wicker said he will reintroduce the bipartisan, bicameral Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act, which would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to streamline the federal permitting process for aquaculture.

During the 115th Congress, Sen. Wicker sponsored S. 3138 to direct the U.S. Commerce Department to establish an Office of Marine Aquaculture within the NOAA to coordinate regulatory, scientific, outreach, and international issues related to aquaculture.

Read the full story at The Ripon Advance