Saving Seafood

MSA reauthorization passes initial vote in US House

September 29, 2022 — The U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife has passed H.R. 4690, the Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act, the latest attempt to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).

The bill was approved by the committee on Thursday, 29 September, in a party-line vote. U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas), the committee’s ranking Republican member, and his fellow Republicans on the committee opposed the bill, citing objections from fishing, seafood, retail, and foodservice industry groups.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Key US seafood groups oppose bill reauthorizing Magnuson-Stevens Act

September 21, 2022 — The National Fisheries Institute (NFI), National Restaurant Association (NRA), National Retail Federation (NRF), National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR), and over 150 fishing companies have come out in opposition to an effort to renew the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA).

The Maine Lobster Dealers’ Association, At-Sea Processors Association, and other industry groups penned a a letter to U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Raul M. Grijalva (D-Arizona) opposing H.R. 4690. According to the letter, the current effort would “throw the U.S. fishing and seafood sector into chaos.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Huffman, Graves reestablish congressional marine sanctuary caucus

October 22, 2021 — In advance of next year’s golden anniversary for the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, two congressmen representing key fishery regions have joined forces to relaunch a bipartisan caucus to promote and continue protecting habitats crucial for coastal economies.

U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman (D-California) and Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) will serve as co-chairs for the reestablished caucus, which according to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation was first formed 15 years ago. The foundation noted that 30 members have already signed up to join the group.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Congressman Don Young Fights for Alaska’s Fishermen, Reintroduces Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization

January 5, 2021 — This week, on the opening day of the 117th Congress, Congressman Don Young (R-AK) introduced the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act. This legislation reauthorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Management Act – landmark fisheries management and conservation legislation first written by Congressman Young in 1975. The Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) was last reauthorized in 2006.

“Alaska’s seafood industry is one of the primary drivers of our state economy, and for over forty years, the Magnuson-Stevens Act has allowed our fishermen, processors, and coastal communities to thrive,” said Congressman Young. “In 1976, I was proud to fight for our Nation’s fishermen alongside my dear friend Rep. Gerry Studds (D-MA) as we first drafted this bipartisan legislation, and I am proud to continue the fight. As the nature of our ecosystem and fishing industry changes, we must ensure our laws are updated to keep pace in an evolving world. COVID-19 has impacted Alaska’s fishermen and processors, and we need to help them bounce back from this public health crisis. One crucial way of securing economic opportunity is to manage our fisheries sustainably, so that our fishermen have product to bring to market in the first place. I am pleased to work with industry leaders, and stakeholders in Alaska and throughout the country to update this important law. Future generations must have access to our ocean’s renewable resources. Simply put, sustainability is not a partisan issue – Alaskans know that more than anyone else. This reauthorization takes important steps to protect one of our most important renewable resources, and ensures that generations of fishermen to come can earn a living by putting sustainable seafood on the tables of families across the country. I will be working diligently to earn bipartisan support for our reauthorization so that it gets across the finish line and is signed into law.”

“Congressman Young has always fought for Alaska’s fishing industry in Washington, D.C., and he knows first-hand how important sustainable fisheries are to our state,” said Clay Koplin, Mayor of Cordova, Alaska. “I am very pleased that he has introduced legislation to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which has had an incredibly positive impact on Alaska for over 40 years. Commercial fishing has a significant footprint here in Cordova, and this bill will help Alaska continue to be a model for the nation on sustainable seafood practices. I am very grateful for Congressman Young’s long-time leadership on this vital issue. For the sake of fishermen in Alaska and across the country, I call on Congress to help us get the job done by taking up Congressman Young’s MSA reauthorization bill.”

Read the full story at the Alaska Native News

President Trump Vetoes S. 906 Over Fishing Gear Provisions

January 2, 2021 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the White House:

TO THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES:

I am returning, without my approval, S. 906, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act. America’s fishermen have made great sacrifices to ensure that our Nation’s marine fisheries are a sustainable economic engine for coastal communities. Under my Administration, the number of United States fish stocks subject to overfishing is at a historic low. This achievement is the result of a transparent and collaborative regulatory process that is supported by regional fishery management councils. At council meetings, fishermen work with Federal Government and State government representatives to meet their statutory obligations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

In passing S. 906, the Congress has ignored the fact that the regional fishery management process has had strong, bipartisan support since its creation. By forcing the West Coast drift gillnet fishery to use alternative gear that has not been proven to be an economically viable substitute for gillnets, the Congress is effectively terminating the fishery. As a result, an estimated 30 fishing vessels, all of which are operated by family-owned small businesses, will no longer be able to bring their bounty to shore. At a time when our Nation has a seafood trade deficit of nearly $17 billion, S. 906 will exacerbate this imbalance.

Further, S. 906 will not achieve its purported conservation benefits. The West Coast drift gillnet fishery is subject to robust legal and regulatory requirements for environmental protection that equal or exceed the environmental protections that apply to foreign fisheries. Without this fishery, Americans will import more swordfish and other species from foreign sources that frequently have more bycatch than our own fisheries. If the Congress wants to address bycatch, it should insist on a level playing field for imported seafood instead of crushing American fishing families.

My Administration has done more for American fishermen than any President before me. On May 7, 2020, I signed an Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth to bolster our domestic seafood industry while curbing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing abroad. On June 5, 2020, I issued a Proclamation on Modifying the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to open it to commercial fishing that is conducted in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other applicable laws, regulations, and requirements. And as fishermen struggled to stay on the water during the pandemic, I issued a Memorandum on Protecting the United States Lobster Industry and later made approximately $530 million available, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Seafood Trade Relief Program, to support the United States seafood industry and fishermen affected by retaliatory tariffs from foreign governments.

My Administration would support provisions of the enrolled bill, if passed separately, which would authorize fee collection in a different fishery — the Pacific Halibut fishery. This authority is needed to implement a provision of the International Pacific Halibut Commission Convention, to which the United States is a party. However, for the sake of American fishermen nationwide, I will not let the Congress circumvent the fisheries management process by effectively terminating a fishery without appropriate consultation and input from fishery management councils. If this occurred, it would increase our reliance on imported seafood and take away the livelihoods of hard-working Americans and their family businesses. It is my duty to return S. 906 to the Senate without my approval.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 1, 2021.

Rep. Huffman reveals preview of federal fisheries management legislation

December 22, 2020 — North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman released a draft of legislation Friday that would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which is the primary law governing federal fisheries management and conservation.

Rep. Huffman, chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee, and subcommittee member Ed Case of Honolulu, introduced a discussion draft to reauthorize the MSA. Huffman said the legislation has made the U.S. a global leader in sustainable fisheries.

The draft comes at the end of a year-long listening tour Huffman led. In a press release, he said the tour was part of his effort to promote a “uniquely transparent, inclusive, science-based approach to updating this important law governing fisheries in American waters.”

Read the full story at KRCR

Fish bill: Huffman submits draft to reauthorize Magnuson

December 21, 2020 — Following a yearlong tour and eight listening sessions at fishing ports on every coast of the country, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) introduced a draft reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act with Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) on Friday, Dec. 18.

The Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act was enacted in 1976 and last reauthorized in 2006.

The new draft leads with consideration for the effects of climate change on wild fisheries, but also includes:

  • A timeline for the management of federal fishery disaster declarations and disbursal of funds;
  • A grant program for working waterfronts;
  • Reinstitution of the National Seafood Council to promote U.S. seafood products;
  • Revision of Saltonstall-Kennedy program to return funds to their original purpose;
  • The addition of a tribal member to the Pacific council.

“This draft includes important and timely updates to the MSA as well as provisions to strengthen communities and support those whose lives and livelihoods depend on healthy oceans and fisheries,” said Reps. Huffman and Case in a statement on the draft. “With the growing impacts of climate change, difficulties due to the ongoing pandemic, and rapidly evolving needs in fisheries management and science, amending and reauthorizing the MSA remains a top priority. We’re looking forward to the next phase of this process and receiving constructive commentary to inform and shape the bill’s introduction next year.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Are All U.S. Sharks Overfished?

August 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The world’s oceans are home to around 500 species of sharks. With so many species, it’s difficult to talk about the status of shark stocks overall. Regardless of the species, federal laws and regulations work to ensure that shark fisheries in the United States are healthy going into the future.

Read the facts below to learn more about what it means to be overfished and how we sustainably manage our shark fisheries.

1. U.S. law requires that shark fishing rules foster long-term biological and economic sustainability.

Fishery management in U.S. federal waters is governed primarily by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. First passed in 1976, the act requires that all fishery management plans meet 10 National Standards. That means the approximately 50 species of sharks managed in federal waters are fished under rules designed to:

  • Prevent overfishing
  • Rebuild overfished stocks
  • Increase long-term economic and social benefits of fisheries
  • Ensure a safe and sustainable seafood supply

Gulf of Mexico blacktip sharks are a good example of these rules at work. A popular food fish, blacktip sharks experienced a slight population decline in the 1990s. We established a quota specifically for this population in 2015. That combined with retention limits tied to other commercially valuable species contributed to a higher population today than the target level set by scientists.

Learn more about U.S. fisheries management

Understand why U.S.-caught sharks are a sustainable food choice

2. The terms “overfished” and “threatened” mean different things.

It’s a common misconception that overfished species are at risk of extinction. But the categories of overfished and overfishing are not directly related to threatened and endangered designations under the Endangered Species Act.

To understand the difference, it helps to know another term: maximum sustainable yield. This is the largest catch level that a species can sustain over a long period of time. If a stock is declared overfished, that means its numbers have fallen too low to produce its maximum sustainable yield. An overfished status doesn’t say anything directly about whether the species is endangered or likely to become endangered.

NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to rebuilding overfished stocks. Of the 43 shark stocks managed in the Atlantic Ocean, six are overfished. We have put rebuilding plans in place for each of these with strict catch limits based on the best available science. These limits are closely monitored and enforced.

Learn more about efforts to rebuild sandbar shark populations

Learn more about how retention limits help us sustainably manage shark fisheries

3. Our largest shark fisheries target healthy stocks.

The vast majority of sharks harvested in the United States are species with above-target population levels. In the Atlantic, for example, 94 percent of all U.S. shark landings in 2018—including bycatch—were of five species, which are neither overfished nor subject to overfishing:

  • Spiny dogfish shark
  • Smooth dogfish shark
  • Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark
  • Atlantic sharpnose shark
  • Finetooth shark

Two of these—spiny dogfish and Gulf of Mexico blacktip—have actually experienced population growth over recent decades.

Learn more about how spiny dogfish have benefited from sustainable management

Read the full release here

FSF Statement on Proclamation on Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

June 5, 2020 — The following was released by the Fisheries Survival Fund:

The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) applauds the proclamation signed today by President Trump that will once again allow sustainable fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Fishermen had long been able to sustainably harvest fish from these areas without affecting the surrounding habitats, and this order ensures that they will continue to be able to do so in the future.

FSF has always held that designating marine monuments by executive order is not an appropriate way to regulate fishing. Fisheries management is best conducted through the collaborative process established by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and not through executive fiat. The Magnuson-Stevens Act has led to the best-managed and most conservation-minded fisheries in the world, and today’s order is a reaffirmation of that management.

FSF looks forward to continuing to work with fisheries managers to promote sustainable fisheries management for our Northeast fisheries.

U.S. Regional Councils Call for Removal of Fishing Restrictions in Marine National Monuments

June 5, 2020 — In a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross last week, the nation’s eight regional fishery management councils reiterated their recommendation that President Trump restore management of fishing throughout U.S. federal waters, including Marine National Monument waters, to the councils as implemented by the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

In the letter, the councils wrote, “The ban on commercial fishing within Marine National Monument waters is a regulatory burden on domestic fisheries, requiring many of the affected American fishermen to travel outside U.S. waters with increased operational expenses and higher safety-at-sea risks.” They further wrote, “Marine National Monument designations in their present form hinder the Councils’ ability to sustainably manage fisheries throughout their range, and they restrict the Councils and the National Marine Fisheries Service from acquiring invaluable knowledge about the stocks and the marine ecosystem made available through catch-and-effort and observer data.”

The letter also reiterated previous council letters from 2017 and 2016, and the councils’ 2016 Outcomes Statement and Recommendations, calling for fisheries management in all U.S. federal waters to be conducted through the public process of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

In 2017, the councils wrote, “Designations of marine national monuments that prohibit fishing activities–especially those that did not receive adequate economic and social impact review and did not allow for a robust public review process–have disrupted the ability of the Councils to manage fisheries throughout their range as required by MSA and in an ecosystem-based manner.”

In its 2016 letter, the councils wrote, “We believe fisheries management decisions should be made using the robust process established by the MSA and successfully used for over forty years.”

Last week’s letter was the result of a Council Coordination Committee meeting that brought together leaders of the nation’s eight regional councils by videoconference for the first of their biannual meetings.

Read the full letter here