November 22, 2023 — The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) will investigate whether it ought to impose antidumping duties and countervailing duties on imported shrimp from several countries.
Specifically, the DOC will conduct antidumping duty investigations of frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador and Indonesia and countervailing duty investigations of frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
October 25, 2023 — The U.S. state of Virginia is reportedly considering whether to reopen its winter blue crab harvest – fifteen years after the fishery was closed.
In 2007, Virginia closed its winter blue crab dredge fishery season for the first time to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay’s crab population. The drop in population was enough that in 2008 the U.S. Department of Commerce declared a commercial fishery disaster for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab fishery – the first time the crab fishery had received such a designation.
October 24, 2023 — The federal government will dole out disaster relief to commercial Chinook salmon fishermen who have weathered a string of poor seasons on the Oregon Coast. But some fishermen say the help won’t be enough to rescue the fast-shrinking industry.
Earlier this month, two years after a request by Oregon’s governor, the U.S. Department of Commerce declared a Chinook fishery disaster for 2018, 2019 and 2020, years when local salmon populations plummeted. Fishing regulators blame the drop on poor habitat conditions and climate change near the California-Oregon border, where thousands of Chinook migrate from the ocean up rivers and streams to spawn.
July 6, 2023 — International trade imbalances are hampering America’s seafood industry, but the U.S. government is working to address those issues and promote exports, according to a new export strategy from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Released in late June, the strategy calls for increased coordination across government agencies, using artificial intelligence to process export data, and greater outreach to the seafood industry.
May 19, 2023 — U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the allocation of over $220 million in fishery disaster funding, appropriated by Congress in the 2022 and 2023 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Acts. The funding will address fishery disasters that occurred in multiple Alaska and Washington fisheries between 2019 and 2023.
“Fishery disasters have devastating effects on local communities and our blue economy,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This disaster funding provides much needed assistance to our fishing industry and we will work with the affected communities to begin the difficult work of helping them recover.”
December 19, 2022 — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s disaster declaration for certain salmon and crab fisheries in Washington and Alaska opens the door for financial relief as part of an omnibus spending bill being negotiated by U.S. lawmakers.
The declaration Friday covers Bristol Bay king crab harvests suspended for two years, and the snow crab harvest that will be canceled for the first time in 2023. Also covered are 2021 salmon harvests from Alaska’s Kuskokwim River and 2019 and 2020 Washington salmon fisheries, The Seattle Times reported.
June 28, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced the appointment of 20 new and returning members to the regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage marine fishery resources.
Established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, councils are responsible for developing region-specific fishery management plans that safeguard and enhance the nation’s fisheries resources. Council members represent diverse groups, including commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental organizations, and academia. They are vital to fulfilling the act’s requirements to end overfishing, rebuild fish stocks, and manage them sustainably.
NOAA Fisheries works closely with the councils through the process of developing fishery management plans. We also review, approve, and implement the plans.
Each year, the Secretary of Commerce appoints approximately one-third of the total 72 appointed members to the eight regional councils. The Secretary selects members from nominations submitted by the governors of fishing states, territories, and tribal governments.
Council members are appointed to both state-specific and regional seats—also known as obligatory and at-large seats, respectively. Council members serve a three-year term and may be reappointed to serve three consecutive terms.
* Asterisk following a member’s name indicates a reappointment
The New England Council includes members from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. 2022 appointees will fill one obligatory seat for New Hampshire, and two at-large seats.
Peter Whelan (New Hampshire)
Eric Hansen (Massachusetts)
Richard Bellavance (Rhode Island)*
The Mid-Atlantic Council includes members from the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. 2022 appointees will fill one obligatory seat for Delaware, and three at-large seats.
Paul ‘Wes’ Townsend (Delaware)*
Scott Lenox (Maryland)*
Peter Hughes (New Jersey)*
Ken Neill (Virginia)
The South Atlantic Council includes members from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 2022 appointees will fill two obligatory seats for North Carolina and South Carolina.
Robert ‘Tim’ Griner (North Carolina)*
Gary Borland (South Carolina)
The Caribbean Council includes members from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 2022 appointee will fill one at-large seat.
James Kreglo (U.S. Virgin Islands)
The Gulf Council includes members from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. 2022 appointees will fill two obligatory seats for Mississippi and Texas, and one at-large seat.
Michael McDermott (Mississippi)
Troy Williamson, II (Texas)*
Thomas Frazer (Florida)*
The Pacific Council includes members from California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The Pacific Council also includes one Tribal seat. 2022 appointees will fill one obligatory seat for Idaho, and one at-large seat.
Peter Hassemer (Idaho)*
Marc Gorelnik (California)*
The North Pacific Council includes members from Alaska and Washington. 2022 appointees will fill two obligatory seats for Alaska.
Angela Drobnica (Alaska)
Nicole Kimball (Alaska)*
The Western Pacific Council includes members from American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 2022 appointees will fill one obligatory seat for American Samoa, and two at-large seats.
William Sword (American Samoa)*
Judith Guthertz (Guam)
Shaelene Kamakaala (Hawaii)
May 5, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA:
Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced today the allocation of $144 million to Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (Washington State) that suffered fishery disasters between 2018 and 2021.
“Productive and sustainable fisheries play a vital role in supporting our blue economy, from creating jobs to literally putting food on the table, all while helping to preserve the health of our delicate ocean ecosystem,” said Secretary Raimondo. “Once distributed, these funds will help affected fisheries and communities recover from disasters and make them more resilient to future challenges.”
Today’s allocation announcement applies to previously declared fishery disasters for the 2019 Alaska Norton Sound king crab fishery, the 2019/2020 New York Peconic Bay scallop fishery, the Port Gamble Tribe’s 2018 Puget Sound coho salmon fishery, the Chehalis Tribe’s 2019 Chehalis River spring Chinook salmon fishery and the 2019 Atlantic herring fishery, as well as multiple fisheries between 2018 and 2021 in Alaska, including:
NOAA Fisheries used commercial revenue loss information to allocate funding across the eligible disasters. The agency also took into consideration traditional uses that cannot be accounted for in commercial revenue loss alone, such as cultural and subsistence uses.
These funds will help improve the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the impacted fisheries. Funds can be used to assist the impacted fishing communities including commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, charter businesses, shore-side infrastructure, and subsistence users. Activities that can be considered for funding include fishery-related infrastructure projects, habitat restoration, state-run vessel and fishing permit buybacks, job retraining, and more.
Some fishery-related businesses impacted by the fishery disasters may also be eligible for assistance from the Small Business Administration or other federal agencies.
In the coming months, NOAA Fisheries will work with states receiving allocations under this announcement on administering these disaster relief funds. Fishing communities and individuals affected by these disasters should work with their state or tribe as appropriate.
See the detailed allocations to states and tribes under this announcement and learn more about fishery disaster assistance.
May 3, 2022 — NOAA Fisheries has recommended more than $11.8 million for 44 projects under the 2022 Saltonstall-Kennedy Competitive Grants Program. The projects fall into two categories:
For more than 40 years, NOAA has awarded grant funding for projects under the Saltonstall-Kennedy program to individuals, institutions, organizations, tribes and businesses across the country. These funds help address the needs of fishing communities, support economic opportunities, and build and maintain resilient and sustainable fisheries.
The goal of the Saltonstall-Kennedy program is to fund projects that:
These 44 proposals represent the top projects best positioned to meet this goal.
Demand for funding was high again this year. Initially, NOAA received 270 pre-proposals. Out of that number, at least three subject matter experts reviewed 137 full proposals requesting more than $38 million during the technical merit review phase. The top proposals in each NOAA Fisheries’ region were recommended for 2022 funding.
At this point in the selection process, the application approval and recommended funding is not final. Divisions of NOAA and the Department of Commerce, NOAA’s parent agency, must still give final approval before successful applicants receive funding.
February 2, 2022 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Garret Graves:
U.S. Congressman Garret Graves is pushing U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gina Raimondo to expedite “Fishery Disaster Determination” due to major damage related to impacts of Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta, and especially Ida. Graves’ ask comes after a recent economic assessment verifies what we have been saying about the impact to our fishing communities. He is also working to reform the disaster designation process for the fishing community.
Immediately after Hurricane Ida, we worked to secure $200 million in federal funding for fisheries disaster assistance, but this down payment can’t be made available for rebuilding our resources until a fisheries disaster has been determined. Under law, only the U.S. Secretary of Commerce can make this determination.
“The recovery doesn’t just happen overnight and for every additional day that the bureaucratic process drags on, our fishers and associated small businesses can’t get back on their feet to rebuild their livelihood. Our fishermen have taken a pounding over the last several years. Hurricanes, floods, unfair trade practices, inflation, worker shortages and government over-regulation have taken their toll – all of which have been a major blow to our workforce and consumer demand. This report verifies what we have been saying about the hurricane impacts and clearly justifies the fisheries assistance we’ve already funded. We need to get assistance to our fishing communities and it has to happen in a timeframe that will actually provide immediate assistance,” Graves said.
DOC is able to declare the disaster provided by the provisions within the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act. The declared disaster would provide targeted relief to one of the most impacted sectors of Louisiana’s economy. The funds would help both commercial and recreational fishers begin to recover.
Click here to read the letter.