Thursday, October 28, 2021

National U.S. Fishery Management Councils Reach Consensus on Proposed Magnuson-Stevens Act Changes Urner Barry by Ryan Doyle - October 27, 2021 Leaders of the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils wrapped up their second biannual meeting of the year. The Council Coordination Committee (CCC) meeting provides the Councils and heads of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) a platform to discuss issues relevant to all the Councils. At this meeting, the discussion revolved around proposed changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and the need to more fully address environmental justice for underserved fishing communities. Joining the meeting was Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA), Congressman Ed Case (D-HI) and Congressman Don Young (R-AK), who discussed MSA reauthorization activities in the House of Representatives. The same Congressmen held listening sessions in 2020 alongside Federal and state fishery managers, fishermen, seafood industry, conservations, and other stakeholders, and gathered feedback regarding concerns with the MSA and fisheries that needed to be addressed. During the meeting, the CCC approved a letter responding to Reps. Huffman and Case’s request for comments on their bill H.R. 4690, the “Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act of 2021.” Furthermore, the CCC approved the Legislative Workgroup’s proposed consensus statements on climate change and Regional Action Plans for Climate Science, bycatch, Council jurisdiction, essential fish habitat, transparency requirements, ethics/standards of behavior, and Secretarial plans. The CCC and NMFS discussed efforts to integrate equity and environmental justice into fisheries management. The committee concluded that the issue is both too broad and regionally distinct to be addressed in one meeting agenda item alone, a press release from the Regional Councils stated. "The members advocated for a joint workshop prior to the next CCC meeting in May 2022 to evaluate, respond to, and inform equity and environmental justice efforts." The Western Pacific Council volunteered to spearhead the issue and bring the workshop to fruition. The CCC also requested the NMFS to provide funds to expand support for underserved communities to implement the Administration’s priority areas. Find a summary of more major points the meeting focused on here. Find a comprehensive summary of the meeting here. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1211141/US-Fishery-Management-Councils-Reach-Consensus-on-Proposed-Magnuson-Stevens-Act-Changes FYI's Virtual Fall Fishermen’s EXPO Schedule Set for Nov. 8-9 Fishermen's News - October 27, 2021 The Fall Fishermen’s EXPO is a virtual event planned for Nov. 8-9, hosted by Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust. Image via ALFA. https://fishermensnews.com/virtual-fall-fishermens-expo-schedule-set-for-nov-8-9/ Murray Appointed as Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Fishermen's News - October 27, 2021 Joyce Murray, who has served in Canada’s House of Commons since 2008, has been named Canada’s new Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. https://fishermensnews.com/murray-appointed-as-canadas-minister-of-fisheries-and-oceans/ Opinions Opinions: Remembering a pair of Alaska titans through the eyes of a fisherman Anchorage Daily News by Larry Cotter - October 26, 2021 Alaska, and the seafood industry, saw the passing of two giants in the past few weeks: Clem Tillion and Chuck Bundrant. The news articles about them were great and provided good insight into the men, their accomplishments and their passions. I had the pleasure to know and work with both for several decades. I loved both of them. This is my effort to share some behind-the-scenes observations of them as human beings. https://www.adn.com/opinions/2021/10/26/remembering-a-pair-of-alaska-titans-through-the-eyes-of-a-fisherman/ *Requires subscription Pacific Seafood Processors Association 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.