In May, the President issued a new Executive Order 13921 “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness Economic Growth.” Section 4 of the E.O. requires each Regional Fishery Management Council to submit, within 180 days of the date of the order (by November 2, 2020), a prioritized list of recommended actions to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and to increase production within sustainable fisheries.
At the October meeting, the Council approved its list of priority actions. The highest priority actions are Non-regulatory actions related to domestic production, including prioritizing internal NOAA funding for groundfish surveys off Alaska and stock assessments; and prioritizing internal NOAA funding for observer coverage and electronic monitoring.
Lower priority items include:
Council regulatory actions – Implement and regulate pelagic trawl electronic monitoring; squid/sculpin processing restrictions; BSAI trawl CV Pacific cod LAPP; BSAI pot cod CP action; and continued evaluation to remove recordkeeping and reporting requirements or regulations that are no longer necessary.
Non-regulatory actions related to U.S. seafood competitiveness – Increase marketing funds, promotion of sustainable US seafood, and science-based consumption advice; Improve trade policy and foreign market access for domestic seafood; and allow refinance of fisheries buyback loans.
NOAA policy – Remove Allocation Review Policy Directive 01-119; Eliminate review process for approval of Council SOPPs as described by Procedural Directive 01-115-01.
Staff contact is David Witherell.
