Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) this week presented the Domestic Seafood Production Act (DSPA), legislation to help address food security in communities historically dependent on coastal and marine resources by helping them develop seafood processing capacity for local use.
Peltola’s bill would prevent the rapid authorization of offshore bony fish aquaculture and its harmful effects on the environment and local ecosystems by prohibiting the permitting or construction of offshore fish farms in U.S. federal waters in the absence of authorization from the Congress.
The bill encourages research into the effects of bony fish aquaculture on the ecosystem and on potential offshore sites that may have less impact on the marine environment and commercially important fish stocks.
“In Alaska, many communities depend on fish and shellfish production for both subsistence and good-paying jobs,” said Rep. Peltola.
Ronalda Angasan, a commercial fisherman of Ugashik and Kanatak descent, serves as agricultural program director at Alaska Village Initiatives and welcomes the legislation.
“My community has fished sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay for hundreds of years. I started when I was nine years old on my grandfather’s boat. Our fish is of high quality, highly nutritious and the best in the world. And it is very sustainable. I know that word gets thrown around a lot now, but it really is. Now I have been told that there is a surplus of our fish and they cannot be sold. However, people say they want to build more fish farms because there is not enough food. That doesn’t apply to me,” said Angasan,
Commercial fisherman Ryan Horwath of Kodiak, Alaska says legislation is needed to protect shared oceans in Alaska and beyond.
“It was through commercial fishing in Alaska that I came to deeply appreciate how strong fish systems are linked to the well-being of coastal communities, which is directly linked to the well-being of the ocean. This bill provides much-needed support to communities that have long been rooted in fishing in pursuit of resilience, safety and cultural heritage. It also helps protect our shared oceans in Alaska and beyond,” Horwath said.
View the full text of the National Seafood Production Act (DSPA) HERE. View an invoice page HERE and an information sheet HERE.
Support for legislation:
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