October 17, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Freshman Democrat Rep. Joe Cunningham of South Carolina’s coastal First District introduced the Climate-Ready Fisheries Act of 2019 yesterday, a bill addressing the impacts of climate change on the area’s fisheries. Joe Cunningham sits on the Congressional Resources Committee.

The bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Francis Rooney (R-FL), and Jared Huffman (D-CA).

Huffman, Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee, is conducting a nationwide listening tour this fall and winter to see whether improvements to the Magnuson-Stevens Act are needed and if so, what they should be. Climate change impacts on fisheries and potential budget increases to management agencies is one topic for discussion.

Cunningham’s bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look at what actions have already been taken by fishery managers, identify information gaps, provide recommendations on how to better adapt fishery management, and prepare fishing industries and communities for the impacts of climate change. It also directs the GAO to make recommendations to Congress on how to enhance the nation’s science and management systems to better address climate change.

“Lowcountry fishermen are some of the hardest working people in South Carolina, and climate change has put their way of life under direct attack. The Climate-Ready Fisheries Act gives our fishermen the tools they need to continue fishing sustainably for generations to come” said Rep. Joe Cunningham. “Ultimately, well-managed fisheries are resilient fisheries. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to help us learn what is working, what is not, and how we can be the best possible stewards of our natural resources.”

“Healthy waterways are critical to our environment and economy—supporting the businesses in our communities that rely on fishing and tourism to thrive,” Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) said. “This bill will go a long way to protect our local fisheries and promote healthier ecosystems for generations to come.”

The situation in South Carolina’s Low Country (the southern two-thirds of the state’s coastline) may be a microcosm of impacts on fisheries from climate change around the country.

Last Monday Cunningham toured Shem Creek, homeport for many of South Carolina’s commercial fishermen. Over the last three decades, the fleet has shrunk from 70 vessels to only “a handful.”

Among the reasons for the decline are warming waters, increased hurricane activity, a significant decline in shrimp species, as well as other species that may have moved north due to warming waters.

While visiting the area, Cunningham noted, “What I learned today is back in August, the surface water temperatures here in the harbor were like 89 degrees,” he said. “The average in the past has been like 83 degrees. So a six-degree difference is huge.”

As the economy changed, some residents started businesses like an oyster hatchery to develop spawn and create new oyster reefs.

Others, like clam farmer Dave Belanger, worry about runoff from the increasing development in the Charleston area. He said there is no monitoring of herbicides and pesticides used by coastal-area property owners that result in polluted waters of the fishing grounds.

“There’s no long-term natural resource planning,” Belanger told Roll Call’s Lindsey McPherson in an article published yesterday.

“Climate change is affecting our nation’s fisheries and our adjacent oceans’ ecosystems. The Climate-Ready Fisheries Act is an important first step in assuring that we have the information we need so we are prepared to adapt our fisheries to mitigate these impacts,” said Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL).

The bill has support from Ocean Conservancy, National Audubon Society, Earthjustice, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Conservation Voters of South Carolina, Coastal Conservation League, and the Marine Fish Conservation Network.

“We already know that climate change is taking a toll on our fisheries. The big question we now face is what we can do to ensure healthy fish populations and fishing communities for generations to come, despite a changing ocean. The Climate-Ready Fisheries Act will help ensure our fisheries and fishing communities are prepared to deal with climate change by positioning Congress to address barriers and develop solutions to these growing challenges. Ocean Conservancy applauds Congressman Cunningham’s leadership on this important issue,” said Meredith Moore, Ocean Conservancy’s Fish Conservation Program Director.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.