Pew Environment Group on Tuesday commended U.S. Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Oylmpia Snowe of Maine, John D. Rockefeller of West Virginia and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island for introducing a “long overdue” bill that would take a portion of existing import duties on seafood products to support key programs.
The Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act (FIRRA) aims to ensure that key programs critical to sustainably managing U.S. fish stocks and the fishing communities that depend on them would receive increased and sustained funding. The bill would provide about USD 100 million annually for scientific research, monitoring, data collection and assistance to fishermen and coastal communities.
Funds would be available through a competitive grant program. Multi-stakeholder regional committees, authorized by the bill and appointed by the nation’s eight fishery management councils, would develop plans to identify priorities for investment in each region. The committees would use those priorities to evaluate and recommend grants for funding. The secretary of commerce, who oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would have final approval of the plans and decisions regarding the grants.
In addition to Pew, the bill has garnered praise from fisheries groups including the Charter Fishermen’s Association, the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations.
A companion bill is expected to be submitted in the U.S. House by Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Frank Guinta of New Hampshire.
