August 7, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — A bill to create an advisory committee to guide seafood marketing and research projects nationwide was approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday, August 2, 2017.
Introduced by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), S. 3087, The American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act would create a 25-member national panel to advise the Secretary of Commerce on projects aimed at boosting fisheries research and/or seafood marketing initiatives across the country.
The advisory panel would assist the Secretary of Commerce “in the awarding of fisheries research and development grants.” It establishes six regions within the AFA Committee:
1. Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Territories of Guam and American Samoa.
2. Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
3. Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Arkansas, Puerto Rico, and territory of the Virgin Islands.
4. California, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
5. New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
6. Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Membership would include one representative each from the processing, harvesting, and recreational sector, with at-large appointments from the nation’s distribution, retail, and foodservice sectors, plus a seafood marketer and an individual with experience growing seafood.
Efforts to establish national seafood promotional and research boards have had success in the past, most notably the National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council from the late 1980s.
The current plan has been supported by a coalition of fish harvesting groups who want full throated government support to increase marketing of domestic seafood.
This bill differs from the old national marketing council effort in a few important ways, however. The AFA Committee is not restricted to national promotional initiatives as it will be considering regional projects as well as those that focus on research.
Funding sources were not explicitly mentioned in the bill, but similar marketing and promotional efforts have been supported through Saltonstall-Kennedy funds, industry assessments, and other revenues. Supporters feel once a vehicle is in place, funding will follow.
The bill was reported to the Senate for a floor vote.
A related House Bill, HR 214, also called the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act, was introduced by Don Young (R-AK) earlier this year. It was referred to the House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans on February 10, 2017.
S. 3087 is nearly identical to a bill introduced by Sullivan and Cantwell last year, with the notable addition of a recreational representative on the advisory panel in this year’s version. Last year’s bill was easily passed by the Committee but was never brought to the floor for a Senate vote.
This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.