U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) has issued a rebuke to the Trump administration, warning that the federal government is not conducting the surveys necessary to manage the nation’s commercial fisheries.
“The federal government has to do two things: they need to do robust surveys for accurate stock assessments and timely regulations to open fisheries. That is it. When the federal government does not do that, you screw hard-working fishermen,” Sullivan said. “To be honest, right now, it is not looking good, and I am getting really upset.”
During a hearing for Paul Dabbar, Trump’s nominee to be deputy secretary of commerce, Sullivan criticized the administration for not conducting the surveys needed to manage the nation’s commercial fisheries. Sullivan noted that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden had also inadequately supported fisheries surveys.
“Biden was horrible. We threw a ton of money at NOAA and the guy did climate change and all this BS. He did not look at stock assessment surveys,” Sullivan said.
However, the Trump administration’s decision to fire hundreds of NOAA employees has left the agency severely understaffed, to the point where it has struggled to conduct surveys and issue the regulations needed to open commercial fisheries, Sullivan said. Sullivan and fellow legislator U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) had to personally intervene to ensure the Alaska black cod and halibut seasons opened in March, while other commercial fisheries have faced delays while waiting for Trump administration officials to sign off on new regulations. In the last week of April, NOAA Fisheries had to take emergency action in order for the Northeast multispecies fishery to open on time 1 May.
One of Trump’s first executive orders required agencies to eliminate 10 regulations for every new regulation – a directive Elizabeth Lewis, a senior associate attorney with Eubanks & Associates, said has made it harder for NOAA Fisheries to open commercial fisheries on time.
“You need a regulation to open a fishery. You need a regulation to close a fishery. In the first Trump administration, they exempted hunting and fishing regulations from this freeze. That has not happened this time,” Lewis said.
At the 1 May hearing, Sullivan was visibly frustrated with the lack of support for fisheries surveys, which provide the data on commercial stocks needed to set sustainable regulations.
“I hope to hell someone from NOAA is watching – get on with the surveys, goddamn it. You can tell I am rattled about this,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he had a list of surveys that are at risk of not being completed, and he pressed the nominee to convince Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to sign a contract for NOAA research vessel Oscar Dyson immediately.
“It needs to be signed this week. Again, I hope Commerce people are watching. Okay? Just sign the contract so we can do the surveys from the Oscar Dyson,” Sullivan said. “If that's not signed in the next couple of days, that vessel won't be able to do surveys. Again, this is blocking and tackling to take care of our fishermen, which is in the President’s [executive orders].”
“I'll follow up, and there are people behind me watching, listening to you. I'm certain,” Dabbar said.
