July 19, 2018 — At least 154 companies, trade groups and other organizations have given their support for HR 200, the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) reauthorization bill passed last week by the US House of Representatives, but Mighty Earth, an advocacy group started by a former member of Congress, has targeted one business in particular in its efforts to defeat the legislation: the Yamaha Corporation.
Mighty Earth hopes it will convince the international company, better known for its musical instruments than its boat motors, to change its position and denounce any policy that undermines seafood sustainability measures.
“This bill undermines science-based catch limits and rebuilding requirements in such a way that threatens to reverse the huge leaps we have made. And in Trump’s America, we can’t be surprised that it was pushed for by special interests like Yamaha Corporation, seeking to sell more boats at the expense of future generations,” said Glenn Hurowitz, Mighty Earth’s CEO, in a statement sent to Undercurrent News, following last week’s 222-193 vote.
So far, Yamaha isn’t budging.