Congressional delegation pushes for support for the fishing industry

June 12 – Oregon U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden alongside U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Andrea Salinas (OR-06) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Administrator Bruce Summers, who oversees the agency’s Agricultural Marketing Service, asking USDA to provide critical federal support to West Coast fishermen and harvesters, seafood processors and distributors.

“Commercial fishing and seafood processing on the West Coast contributes significantly to the nation’s seafood production and agricultural economy,” the lawmakers wrote. “The industry serves as the economic backbone for several small ports and rural coastal communities in Oregon. Fishing activities are deeply rooted in the local culture and way of life throughout the Oregon Coast.”

The West Coast seafood industry was largely left out of previous USDA commodity purchasing programs in the past, until lawmakers successfully pushed for major purchasing advancements in recent years, including the purchase of groundfish. Pacific and seafood products by the USDA last year for $52 million. This shift has proven essential, especially for Oregon’s smaller coastal communities as they continue to recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, international conflict and many other factors.

“Additionally, an influx of imported species and substitutes from other countries has intensified competition in the domestic market, making it difficult for domestic producers to sell their inventory at desired prices,” the lawmakers stated in their letter. “Specifically, the harvest and production of rockfish and whiting has been subject to changing economic factors, such as changes in disposable income, unemployment rates and consumer confidence, which have affected demand for seafood products, leading to surplus inventories. “

The lawmakers’ letter calls on the USDA to include Pacific Northwest and West Coast seafood products that are currently produced in high volumes and that are easily accessible and transportable in this year’s Section 32 purchases for immediate distribution to assistance programs. to feed. This includes West Coast walleye fillets and rockfish fillets in 2024.

“We greatly appreciate the efforts that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made to support our industry in recent years. These continue to be extremely challenging times, and we cannot overstate the importance of USDA’s actions to expand procurement programs to include greater quantities of domestically produced seafood,” the lawmakers concluded.