Locke appointment encouraging for seafood trade

Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke is in line to be the next U.S. Commerce secretary, which may bode well for the country's seafood industry and its trade relations with China. Locke, a Democrat, was the nation's first Chinese-American governor, serving two terms from 1997 to 2005.

Jim Gilmore, public affairs director of the At-sea Processors Association, a Seattle-based organization that represents seven seafood companies that own and operate 19 catcher-processor vessels, is encouraged by word of Locke's nomination.

As governor, Locke "was incredibly responsive and quite cognizant of the fishing and seafood industries' importance to the state's economy," said Gilmore, who dealt with Locke and his staff when he made appointments to the Pacific and North Pacific fishery management councils.

The Department of Commerce oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is responsible for fisheries management.

Locke was also mindful of international trade and its significance to the nation's seafood industry. Much of the product ASA members harvest and process is exported, and upward of 85 percent of the U.S. seafood supply is imported.

"He was active in opening up Asian markets [to Washington products]," said Gilmore.

Locke served 10 years in the Washington House beginning 1982 and three years as county executive in Seattle's King County in the mid-1990s.

He is President Barack Obama's third pick for Commerce secretary. Two weeks ago, New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg backed out, citing "irresolvable conflicts" with Obama's policies. Last month, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew after disclosing that a grand jury is investigating allegations of wrongdoing in the awarding of state contracts.

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