Saving Seafood

Cassidy, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Combat Foreign Illegal Fishing

April 9, 2025 — The following was released by Bill Cassidy:

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Curtis (R-UT), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Protecting Global Fisheries Actto combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Predatory IUU fishing, particularly by China, disrupts international trade and undermines maritime security, marine ecosystems, and food and economic security. It often involves forced labor, human trafficking, unsafe working conditions, and other human rights abuses. IUU fishing directly harms the United States—a major harvester, importer, and consumer of seafood—by creating unfair competition for fishermen who abide by international fishing laws.

“Louisiana produces the best seafood in the world. Competitors abroad outprice us with illegal practices. It hurts our jobs, economy, and national security. Let’s protect our way of life,” said Dr. Cassidy. 

The Protecting Global Fisheries Act would:

  • Authorize the President to impose visa, asset, and financial sanctions on foreign persons or foreign vessels found responsible or complicit in IUU fishing and the sale, supply, purchase, or transfer of endangered species.
  • Require the U.S. Departments of State and U.S. Defense to regularly provide briefings to Congress on efforts and strategies to combat IUU fishing.
  • Assert that the United States will prioritize countering IUU fishing in collaboration with friendly countries and via international forums.

Background

IUU fishing violates national and international fishing laws, including fishing without a license for certain species, failing to report catches or making false reports, using prohibited fishing gear, or conducting unauthorized transfers of fish to cargo vessels. It has become a particular challenge in the Western Hemisphere, costing nearly $2.7 billion in lost revenue annually and making up more than 20 percent of all catches in Latin America. The increasing presence of illegal Chinese fishing vessels has significantly contributed to the rise in IUU fishing in the hemisphere and around the world.

 

Murkowski, Kaine Introduce Legislation to Bolster Commercial Fishing Industry

April 4, 2025 — The following was released by Lisa Murkowski:

Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), introduced legislation vital to the fishing industry, the economy, and the food supply chain. The Save Our Seafood (SOS) Act would exempt fish processors from the H-2B visa caps in order to help the seafood industry meet workforce demands.

“Alaska’s seafood industry is a delicate chain – and when processors don’t have the workforce to meet demand, the whole industry can fall apart,” said Senator Murkowski. “Coastal communities, family-owned fishing boats, and Alaskans who work in the industry need to know that they have fully-functioning operations where they can deliver their catch. Through this legislation, I’m working to ensure that the industry has a dependable workforce that can process and deliver the highest-quality seafood in the world.”

“The seafood industry is a critical part of Virginia’s economy, especially in Hampton Roads and on the Eastern Shore,” said Senator Kaine. “I often hear from Virginia’s seafood processors about how hard it is to find seasonal workers, so I’m glad to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my colleagues to make it easier for these businesses to hire the workers they need.”

“Virginia’s seafood industry relies on seasonal, H2-B workers to help meet demand during peak season,” said Senator Warner. “Without this workforce, many of Virginia’s seafood processors would simply have to close up shop. I’m glad to introduce this legislation that will help Virginia’s businesses by ensuring they have the labor needed to keep their operations up and running.”

“When you think Louisiana, you think seafood,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Creating jobs in this industry is good for our economy and state.”

“Maryland’s seafood businesses – most of which are small and family-owned – not only process the iconic blue crabs that our state is known for, they are also a key economic driver for our state and the region. While I push every year to ensure the Administration makes the maximum number of H-2B visas available for the seafood industry, the uncertainty our small businesses face threatens their success and ultimately their ability to keep running. This legislation provides a permanent, tailored fix for the H-2B program to better position Maryland’s seafood businesses to consistently meet their seasonal workforce needs while also supporting American jobs. This long-term legislative solution – along with our ongoing fight to protect the workers in this industry – are critical to the enduring success of Maryland’s cherished seafood businesses,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“There’s nothing more Maryland than crabs,” said Senator Alsobrooks. “Making sure we have the workforce we need so everyone can continue enjoying this Maryland staple is what this bipartisan bill is all about.”

“PSPA strongly supports this legislation and appreciates the leadership of Senator Murkowski on this issue,” said Julie Decker, President of the Pacific Seafood Processors Association. “Alaska produces nearly 60 percent of all U.S. seafood. In order to do this, Alaska seafood processors need a workforce in our highly remote coastal communities, enabling fishermen to keep doing what they do best – providing nutritious food for Americans and the world. This legislation would help ensure enough workers will be available to support Alaska’s seafood sector.”

“We sincerely thank Senator Murkowski for her tireless leadership in addressing the critical workforce challenges facing the Alaska seafood industry,” said Kasey Simon, President of United Work and Travel. “By securing cap-exempt status for seafood workers in the H2B program, this legislation not only provides much-needed stability for America’s wild-harvest seafood industry but also strengthens the entire H2B ecosystem – ensuring that seasonal employers across multiple sectors have access to the labor they need. This is a commonsense solution that benefits businesses, workers, and coastal communities alike.”

“I proudly support Senator Murkowski’s efforts to secure cap-exempt status for seafood production workers in the H2B program,” said Brian Gannon, Vice President of Government Relations and Global Partnerships at LaborMex. “LaborMex consistently supports legislation that strengthens America’s growers, harvesters, and fishers – those who are essential to US food production and food security. The men and women who fish our seas play a critical role ensuring that high-quality seafood reaches American tables. By addressing the workforce needs of this industry, this legislation bolsters economic resilience, safeguards US fisheries, and reinforces the long-term stability of America’s food supply.”

“The ongoing uncertainty surrounding H-2B visa caps is one of the most significant challenges we face,” said Ben Bale, Chief Financial Officer of Ocean Companies. “Making the H-2B program cap-exempt would eliminate this uncertainty, enabling us to plan production more effectively, support the local fishing industry, and enhance economic stability for our business, our employees, the community, and the guest workers who depend on these opportunities.”

“The Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association applauds the reintroduction of the Save Our Seafood Act. Since 1989 Maryland Seafood Processors have used and depended on the H-2B non-agricultural seasonal visa work program to staff these traditional seasonal jobs. These hardworking people who come to Maryland every season under this very important program support thousands of jobs of American citizens and small seafood businesses around Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay that also support seafood processors. Due to the scarcity of H-2B visas, Maryland has lost more than 40 of its seafood processing companies, located mostly in rural areas around the Bay, since the 90s – and now we have less than a dozen left. Maryland Watermen continue to demonstrate year after year the need, no matter the economic climate, for these seasonal workers. All of Maryland Seafood is extremely grateful that Senators Murkowski, Van Hollen, and their colleagues are reintroducing this bill to provide a permanent solution that will enable our seafood processors to meet their staffing needs every year and save our vital seafood industry,” said Jack Brooks, President of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association.

Background

H-2B visas allow domestic employers to temporarily hire nonimmigrants to perform nonagricultural labor or services if they cannot fill these jobs with American workers. Employers must first obtain certification from the Department of Labor and then complete an application process through the Department of Homeland Security to obtain these visas.

The program is crucial to the survival of the seafood industry, particularly now when it has been under attack by Russian over harvesting and price gouging. When fish are harvested, processors are at the back of the line for visas and rely on “supplemental” visas being issued, which are discretionary. If there is not sufficient processing capacity, fishermen have nowhere to deliver their catch, and do not get paid, which is devastating to small, family-owned fishing operations, and the communities they live in.  The supply chain also suffers when this healthy food source is prevented from hitting the market.

This legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Dr. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

VIRGINIA: Port Authority to receive $20 million for offshore wind

January 27, 2022 — The Virginia Port Authority will receive a $20 million grant from the Department of Transportation to make improvements to Portsmouth Marine Terminal to turn it into a staging area to support the building of 180 wind turbines 27 to 42 miles off the Virginia Beach coast.

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine made the announcement Jan. 13 and said in a joint statement that “this funding is a recognition of the Commonwealth’s leadership in this space and will go a long way toward establishing Virginia as a hub for offshore wind development along the East Coast.”

The money came from the Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Program, a competitive discretionary grant program run by the Maritime Administration. Warner, Kaine and Rep. Bobby Scott co-signed a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in support of the port’s grant application.

Read the full story at the Suffolk News-Herald

Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts senators push Trump for aid for their states’ seafood industries

July 6, 2020 — Four U.S. senators representing the Chesapeake Bay region wrote a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Wednesday, 1 July, urging him to invest COVID-19 funding to the area’s shellfish farmers whose businesses have been greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter, written by Virginia’s U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Maryland’s U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, all Democrats, asks Perdue to use some of the USD 16 billion (EUR 14.2 billion) appropriated through the CARES Act to purchase oysters and clams from Chesapeake-based aquaculture businesses.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Trump’s plans to expand offshore drilling face headwind on Atlantic coast

February 22, 2018 — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s bid to open Atlantic waters to offshore drilling has sparked bipartisan opposition in the states with the largest oil and gas reserves off their coasts, presenting unexpected obstacles to the long-held designs of the energy industry.

In recent years, political leaders in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina had supported oil and gas drilling off their coasts, envisioning high-paying jobs and increased tax revenues. But new governors in the three states – two Democrats and a Republican – have all reversed the positions of their predecessors, fearing the potential impact on beaches, fisheries and tourism industries.

“This last election we’ve seen a significant shift at the leadership level,” said David Holt, president of the Consumer Energy Alliance, a trade group representing large energy users and producers. “If you look at the last 10 years, the majority of the governors and the public had been supportive.”

For oil executives in Houston, an international center of the offshore oil and gas sector, the Atlantic coast is a new frontier that could potentially mean significant profits in the decades ahead. Most of the world’s biggest oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell, have a major presence here, employing thousands of people, as do firms specializing in offshore drilling and services, including TechnipFMC, National Oilwell Varco, McDermott International and Transocean.

But the recent shift in political and public sentiment represents a very real threat to their plans.

The oil and gas industry has sought access to U.S. Atlantic waters for years, hoping to find rich oil and gas fields similar to those off the coasts of Nigeria and Ghana. In Trump – who proclaims “energy dominance” almost as frequently as “Make America great again” – the industry believed it had found the key to achieving its goal.

Energy companies came close two years ago when former President Barack Obama considered allowing oil and gas development in Atlantic waters. They had the support of Republicans and Democrats, including Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2016, and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime friend and fund raiser for Hillary and Bill Clinton, but Obama ultimately decided against an expansion of offshore drilling.

Read the full story at the Houston Chronicle