WASHINGTON — June 2, 2014 — The House Natural Resources Committee approved a measure introduced by Rep. Jon Runyan (R-N.J.) on Thursday that would require more timely economic data on the impact natural disasters have on fishing communities.
Runyan introduced an amendment to the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, which would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act for five years.
Runyan’s amendment would require the secretary of commerce to estimate and publish the economic toll a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy had on a region’s fishing industry within 30 days of a fisheries resource disaster declaration.