Tag Archives: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
Maine awarded a $2.2M grant to develop a roadmap establishing an offshore wind power industry
The grant, to the Governor’s Energy Office in Augusta, is being made by the Economic Development Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The money will be matched with $267,624 in state funds and $112,457 in local funds. “Unleashing American innovation is critical to our global competitiveness,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in a news release. “This project will allow Maine to capitalize on its technical leadership in the wind power sector to diversify and grow the state’s economy and make it more resilient.” >click to read< 13:48
Governor Mills Urges Commerce Secretary Ross to Reject Pew Charitable Trusts prohibition petition
Standing up for Maine’s vital lobster industry and its hardworking men and women, Governor Janet Mills today urged U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to deny a petition by Pew Charitable Trusts that would prohibit the use of vertical lines in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries in four areas of the New England coast. In a letter sent to the Commerce Secretary yesterday, Governor Mills explained that the petition, which asks for immediate year-round closures south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket and three seasonal offshore closures in the Gulf of Maine to protect North Atlantic right whales, “not only fails to provide additional protections for right whales, but contrary to Pew’s assertions, it will also cause significant economic impact to Maine’s iconic lobster fishery.” >click to read< 17:03
Port of Newport nets $1.2 million grant for new pier construction serving the largest commercial fishing fleet in the state.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.2 million grant to the Port of Newport, Oregon, to support the construction of a new pier, serving the largest commercial fishing fleet in the state. ,, Senator Jeff Merkley also acknowledged the grant funding. >click to read< 07:59
Cuomo threatens to sue if fluke quotas aren’t reallocated
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo threatened Tuesday to sue the federal government if two interstate fishery-management agencies meeting in December fail to reach an “equitable” redistribution of the coastwide quota for fluke. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Tuesday, Cuomo wrote it was “imperative” that the federal and interstate agencies take “immediate action” to “reallocate” the quota for fluke “in a fair and equitable manner or New York will be forced to take legal action to protect the interests of fishermen in this state.” Cuomo gave the agencies until December to act. click here to read the story click here to read the letter 09:46
In Compliance! Federal government upholds NJ’s flounder regulations; 18-inch size limit affirmed
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross notified New Jersey officials Tuesday that the state’s 2017 flounder regulations were in compliance for management of the fishery stock and would not need to be changed. “We are very pleased that NOAA worked with us to understand our position that sound science and good long-term planning must drive decisions about the management of summer flounder, one of the state’s most important recreational and commercial fish species,” state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Tuesday afternoon. “New Jersey is fully committed to employing science and public education to conserve a species that is critical to the fishing culture and economy of the state.” The decision follows months of contentious debate about the issue between New Jersey officials and the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission, which had called for the state to implement a stricter 19-inch size limit. click here to read the story 19:43
Garden State officials make their case to feds as fluke battle rages on
With New Jersey’s summer flounder fishing industry on the line, Garden State officials made their case to
fisheries on Tuesday afternoon. In a hearing with the federal agency, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection officials argued that the state’s regulations for summer flounder (or fluke) fishing reach conservation equivalency with new federal regulations. The cornerstone of New Jersey’s argument: That the state’s proposed regulations will actually preserve more of the summer flounder stock than the measures being put forth by the feds. Tuesday’s call was closed to the press, but in a statement following the call NJDEP spokesperson Bob Considine described it as a “good discussion.” click here to read the story 08:37
Feds threaten shutdown of N.J. Fluke fishery as showdown escalates
Call it the Great Flounder War of 2017. A simmering battle between New Jersey recreational fisherman and the federal agency governing fishing along the Atlantic Coast has now escalated — with potentially disastrous consequences for the fishermen. In a teleconference on Thursday morning, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) officially found New Jersey to be out of compliance with federal regulations. The matter is now headed to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross for a final decision. If Ross agrees with the recommendation, both recreational and commercial fluke fishing could end up banned altogether in the Garden State. ,, And here’s where things get really sticky: If Sec. Ross finds New Jersey to be out of compliance, he’d have the option of imposing a moratorium on summer flounder fishing in the state — a moratorium that would also apply to commercial fishermen, who thus far have been in compliance with the feds. (Earlier this year, the state’s commercial fishermen agreed to lower fishing quotas imposed by ASMFC.) click here to read the story 08:19
California and Oregon Governors request Salmon Disaster Assistance
With the West Coasts salmon fisheries in crisis, on Thursday California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross requesting declaration of a catastrophic regional fishery disaster and commercial fishery failure for salmon in their states. Officials report that there has been an unprecedented collapse in the salmon population in California and Oregon. Tribal allocations are at an all-time low, and the proposed closures and minimal open salmon fishing seasons will have significant negative impacts on thousands of West Coast residents. The declaration the governors are seeking begins the process for requesting federal aid to assist commercial salmon anglers and salmon-dependent business who continue to suffer from declining salmon populations. Click here to read the story, and read the governors letter 09:38
