Seafood Harvesters descend on US capital

A new U.S. fishermen’s association is making its debut this week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and is calling out for accountability where fish is landed and where policies are made.

Seafood Harvesters of America (SHA) is holding a panel discussion titled The Future of American Fisheries today at the Newseum Knight Conference Center as part of Capitol Hill Oceans Week. SHA President Chris Brown says it’s a great opportunity for the group to define itself and shed light on what its positions will be on national fisheries.

The group’s formation comes as the national fishery management law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, is up for reauthorization.

“For the most part, we think Magnuson is working,” said Brown. “Fisheries are protected and we cannot accept overfishing. We believe policy should be driven by the finest science in the world.”

Brown will be joined at today’s discussion by Eileen Sobeck, assistant administrator at the National Marine Fisheries Service and John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute, among others.

“It’s hugely important” to have the support of the nation’s largest seafood industry association, said Brown. “The more people you share a vision with, the more likely you are to achieve it.”

Brown has been a commercial fisherman out of Point Judith, R.I., for the past 38 years. He and his family own and operate Brown Family Seafood, which distributes to local restaurants and retailers. More and more fishermen like him are increasing their involvement with not only policy making efforts but also supply chain concerns, implementing traceability programs, joining community supported fisheries and even selling their products to consumers directly.

“We used to market the way we used to fish. A race to fish, a race to market. It created pretty undesirable results over time. ‘How cheap can we make fish if we try really hard?’ That is a bad business model,” said Brown. But the mindset has changed, and optimism exists within the industry, despite a federal fishery management system the organization calls “complex.”

“I think we have a great future. It’s been a turbulent time over the last 10 years. But our investments will pay dividends over time. It’s not like a light switch, but I’m confident that responsibility, stewardship and accountability will continue to be a strength in Magnuson. Well-managed, science-driven fisheries will produce higher volumes of fish over time that can replace imported fish with our own. That’s the goal here, to connect the American public with the potential abundance of our oceans.”  

Visit innerspacecenter.org/oceanslive to view the 9:30 a.m. panel discussion live online.

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None