Tag Archives: Huffman
As fish move north, ‘things are getting weird out there’
Here in one of New England’s oldest fishing communities, there’s a longing for the old days, long before climate change and the federal government’s quota system got so complicated. Convinced that Congress and NOAA will never allow them larger quotas, many fishermen want to take their grievances straight to the White House, hoping the commander in chief will intervene and allow them to catch more fish. At his fish wholesaling business, Mike Gambardella reached for his iPhone to find one of his prized photographs: a picture showing him wearing a white T-shirt bearing the message, “President Trump: Make Commercial Fishing Great Again!” >click to read<08:28
June 1 delivery date set for fisheries disaster dollars
More than $29.6 million in federal assistance will be delivered on June 1 to communities affected by the delay in the 2015-16 Dungeness crab fishery and to the Yurok Tribe for the collapse of the Klamath River fall chinook salmon fishery in 2016. Congressman Jared Huffman, who represents Del Norte County, and his colleague, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) announced Monday that $29.65 million in federal disaster assistance will be delivered to North Coast fishing communities. >click to read<08:05
‘Desperately needed’: Congress OKs more than $29 million in disaster relief for fisheries
It’s taken four years but fishermen along the North Coast who have seen crab and salmon seasons truncated and even closed altogether will finally see some relief after $29.65 million in federal disaster relief funding was approved by Congress. It was in the 2015-16 year the Dungeness crab fishery and the Yurok Chinook salmon fishery both collapsed due to poor water quality. Despite $200 million in relief funding made available in 2018, the release of the money was delayed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and it took a letter from U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman and Rep. Jackie Speier to get the ball rolling again last year. >click to read<07:58
Federal Relief for Fisheries Disasters Dating From 2015 Finally Available
Representatives Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) today announced that $29.65 million in long-awaited federal assistance will be finally delivered on June 1st to North Coast fishing communities that suffered major economic impacts due to fisheries disasters dating back to 2015.,,, That federal funding, now finally announced, will be provided in June to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission to distribute to individuals and businesses dependent on fishing. >click to read<14:21
You should read this. Right whale extinction crisis gains momentum on Capitol Hill
Leaders from industry, science and advocacy convened on Capitol Hill this week for a congressional briefing and panel discussion on the North Atlantic right whale extinction crisis. Despite being a busy week in Congress, the room was packed with attendees interested in learning more about the status of the right whale and opportunities for Congress to support the recovery of the species. NRDC cosponsored the briefing and I had the pleasure of presenting on the panel, which was held in cooperation with Representatives Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Jared Huffman (D-CA). The panel provided a compelling overview of the severe threat posed by entanglement, ongoing and future actions aimed at reducing right whale deaths, and the international cooperation needed to secure the whale’s future. >click to read<20:51
Booker, Carper, Nelson Introduce Bicameral Bill to Establish Grant Program for Right Whale Conservation
U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Bill Nelson (D-FL), along with Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have introduced a bill to protect the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. Booker is a member of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, Carper is the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Nelson is the top Democrat on the Senate’s Commerce Committee, which oversees ocean policy. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), along with Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jared Huffman (D-CA), and Bill Keating (D-MA), has introduced a companion measure in the House of Representatives. >click to read<18:46
Relief bills seek $140 million aid for California crab and salmon fishery disasters
California lawmakers introduced new legislation last week seeking to unlock $117 million in federal disaster aid for commercial fishermen and other business owners financially scarred by a series of catastrophic crab and salmon seasons threatening to upend the state’s fishing industry. North Coast representatives including Congressmen Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson, state Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Jim Wood, also have petitioned Gov. Jerry Brown to seek a disaster declaration for this year’s severely restricted salmon season, which already portends severe hardship with commercial fleets still in port.,,, Local fishermen, many of them proud and not especially trusting of government, said people who could use assistance aren’t holding their breath. click here to read the story 09:04
Speier, Huffman introduce disaster relief funding bill – The Crab Emergency Disaster Assistance Act of 2016
U.S. representatives will announce legislation that would provide California fishermen and businesses with $138 million in funding. The Crab Emergency Disaster Assistance Act of 2016 would provide $138.15 million in assistance to Dungeness and rock crab fishermen and related businesses. The funding is contingent on U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker declaring the state’s crab fishing industry a disaster and a commercial fishery failure. This comes after the shutdown of this year’s commercial crab season. The season was supposed to open on Nov. 17 but remained closed because of high levels of harmful acid in the crab. Read the rest here 07:21
