[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6212551,"mediaKeyId","3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76","parentId",3684010,"title","Industry presses for cooperative research and real‑time data to limit broad right whale closures","audioSeconds",2952,"startMs",3090000,"endMs",6042000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76&start=3090&end=6042","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76/thumbnail_3090000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6212551/Industry-presses-for-cooperative-research-and-realtime-data-to-limit-broad-right-whale-closures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212551-5ae4f5e1aa9eb9aa54e03b9fc48e9ca7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770738709&Signature=j4ZomHzbgu4uMZCeD4l2YIlj8O5JGW9Fmy32cp~3Ny6Oh~BY8MKwVL-Dy9BSenZc5z~Ku2mZbWMAE9bqMDZQHf5mT3YwRK40cCBZ-Wsa0g8CF-mhzfeOd5toLFjo3n6rBr7rOmGswA1EYuzrbjJFixPyWJXwXToJ5FE6GF5E6mNnLm2pJfDzus7bmRplph7-r~VnZI1OhV2a8N790nfhsbLzrubW255nfBf3dbSFP~yTFLmCU7mzSm69LOZFpYD73DCAW5VquXlfaXeAfhpng054w4MMhxbcCCBgXU8f8TAhSSbTewADzM03asdJywDtM1AFpBYf8Je~zBOF~Yvlvw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources","date","2025-06-05T04:55:53Z","article","Fishermen told the subcommittee that protecting the endangered North Atlantic right whale is necessary, but they urged a targeted, data‑driven approach that avoids broad seasonal closures that shut out fishing during productive periods.

Dustin Delano, chief operating officer of the New England Fishermen Stewardship Association and a fourth‑generation lobsterman, said his industry has modified gear and accepted costs to reduce entanglement risk but described the economic and safety strain of large closures. “One of the most damaging changes has been the thousand square mile closure off of Maine's coast,” Delano said, explaining that lobsters move offshore and that winter gear shifting is dangerous. He argued that broad closures can become ineffective and harmful to fishing communities unless paired with better data.

Delano recommended expanded cooperative research and gear‑based technology, including industry vessels participating in surveys to supplement the single federal groundfish survey. He also advocated for non‑invasive whale tagging and real‑time location data, citing successes with southern hemisphere programs that helped identify calving grounds and migration routes.

Members asked about timing and sufficiency of data. Delano and other witnesses said that recent congressionally funded monitoring in Maine is just starting and will not be ready in time for the Technical Review Team (TRT) process scheduled to propose draft regulations in early 2026. Delano expressed support for extending timelines so new, locally gathered data can be considered: “Unless the current regulatory process is extended, these restrictions will return before the science is ready.”

The panel also discussed the grey‑zone area around Machias Seal Island and asymmetric enforcement, where witnesses expressed concern about competitive imbalances when neighboring foreign vessels operate under different rules.

Lawmakers framed the conversation as a need to combine whale protections and sustainable fisheries. Witnesses emphasized that solutions should include more cooperative science, real‑time monitoring and international cooperation on enforcement and data sharing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Oversight Hearing | Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee","oneSentenceSummary","Fishermen and council representatives urged Congress to prioritize cooperative surveys, pilot programs and non‑invasive whale tracking to avoid large seasonal closures that can shut fishermen out of productive areas, while acknowledging the need to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale.","taxTitle","Natural Resources: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1983,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6212556,"Alaska witnesses tell Congress community quotas, global competition and trade pressure domestic seafood",354,3302000,3656000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76&start=3302&end=3656","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76/thumbnail_3302000.jpg","/articles/6212556/Alaska-witnesses-tell-Congress-community-quotas-global-competition-and-trade-pressure-domestic-seafood","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212556-63cd932866008093b38f28008cbb793e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770738709&Signature=ZXrIuvArXnrvqrixTc60vBXwUu9PwtQcX~IpxSIvUMNFDXd~LxakJ3mDh-VVkn-~QXMeluPOdvcpQBoGfHfpy45nqZIQX4Sjp0U26bB7G2-bQ2Zs-pWIrqxCm-O6moLUgIgoTNgVP90BQOfeR7~vN9bGNW-niKvZWhVYVX12rk-tfCJiOmQ3YOOxNneJ42pXn16vn3b~X3BS-Sk4oEuyguILNDPd7OPKZbQ7ozECM1rnE0ibNEf1uroTTi-6Bn9akMlcKKQcHUA0CDT9nFFcMCcRFolz9TUxzDKWttezhN9zahkjvyNZKUtGR-jQCRvU~LfZ2C51Ca5vtjLGZUeyXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Witnesses from Alaska told the subcommittee that fishing is the economic backbone for many rural communities and that global competition, subsidies and trade distortions threaten those livelihoods.

Larson Hunter, chairman of the board of directors for the Coastal Villages Region Fund and city manager of Scammon Bay, described how the Community Development Quota (CDQ) program has created jobs, training and economic opportunities in Western Alaska. ‘‘Without CDQ, the alternative in our region is usually food stamps,’’ Hunter said, and he told members CBRF paid roughly $4 million in wages last year and supports more than 100 full‑time jobs in the communities it serves.

Hunter and others said Alaska is unusually dependent on exports: “Alaska accounts for 60% of America’s domestic harvest and 70% of that is exported,” he said. They described a strategic disadvantage against fleets from subsidizing nations. Hunter warned that Russian subsidies and expanding fleets have boosted Russia’s pollock harvest from about 1,750,000 tons to 2,460,000 tons since 2021, and that vessel construction costs are substantially lower overseas than in the United States, making U.S. producers less able to compete internationally.

Jamie O'Connor, a fifth‑generation Bristol Bay fisherman, urged Congress to treat working waterfronts as strategic infrastructure and to support port, processing and training investments. “We are not asking for a handout. We are asking for a fair shot alongside the rest of America's food producers,” she testified, and recommended creating a USDA office of seafood to integrate seafood into federal grant, loan and nutrition programs.

Members and witnesses discussed trade policy, labeling and supply‑chain transparency as levers to protect domestic producers from unfair competition. Hunter urged measures to make clear to buyers and consumers when products are Alaska wild‑caught and sustainable. Lawmakers said they would consider trade and labeling tools alongside funding to bolster processing plants, vessel construction and workforce development.","Leaders from Alaska’s fishing communities described how community development quota groups and Alaska’s heavy reliance on exports make the state vulnerable to subsidized foreign fleets and trade pressures, and urged investment, labeling and trade tools to level the playing field.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6212561,"Subcommittee splits over Trump executive order to 'restore American seafood competitiveness'",1577,860000,2437000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76&start=860&end=2437","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76/thumbnail_860000.jpg","/articles/6212561/Subcommittee-splits-over-Trump-executive-order-to-restore-American-seafood-competitiveness","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212561-0338f80e4a94da31816da2f8b7154284/orig.mp4?Expires=1770738709&Signature=mAdgU8QdunWKU3-0aFXRFkTzx6He8N2Nk5KJjrPVRoLOrubrEhUwqpkk1AuYT7PehhGYK-ClXVSyHvhAfJxNZ9WbGVgbnGJ84v8UJNgeFoZ9u-Zo5VTd4Y-mFy-csh6pDLn4N4zpG7lWcJgksRwvucUFmFCqcmikL~hklONyqJuwFsDKKmGvZVtnxLqkSgtrgP8DhqYcGXKOypbdUlGcVboG9zX~c4~fUwcnqnTleujfVn-hEOhdTS5-8oOO3~ztlcA7CiKkoPD21~4zVhSm9GQbI8IuZvQyMO6I160KedWud3sYiD5uegy1RKLYlmxQ5zks1Pp1G6F5jhVp2zQeHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The subcommittee convened an oversight hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness” to examine an April executive order from the president and whether the administration’s proposed regulatory changes and programs can boost domestic harvests.

Chair Hageman opened the hearing by describing Executive Order 14276 as a directive to reduce regulatory burdens, adopt new technologies and work with the eight regional fishery management councils. “Today the subcommittee … is holding a hearing on restoring America's seafood competitiveness,” the chair said in her opening remarks.

Several witnesses welcomed the stated goals but warned the administration’s personnel and program decisions undercut that aim. Ranking Member Hoyle said she supports competitiveness but challenged the administration’s approach: “You’re not going to make our seafood industry more competitive by firing staff at NOAA, canceling research, banning NOAA staff from traveling to meetings, or by instigating trade wars with erratic and unstrategic tariff policies.” Representative Huffman was blunt: calling the EO an “imperial edict,” he said it “dismantles the programs, the science, and the safeguards that have made U.S. fisheries among the most sustainable in the world.”

Industry witnesses described ways the EO could be implemented within the existing council process. Rick Belvance, who chairs the Council Coordination Committee that represents the eight regional fishery management councils, said the councils are preparing recommendations for NOAA to reduce burdens and increase production while balancing conservation. “The councils, with the input of technical staff, advisers, and the public, are now redirecting efforts to update and add to recommendations we made in 2020,” Belvance said.

The hearing also focused on the role of state‑led pilot programs and Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs). Martha Gaius, Southeast fisheries policy director at the American Sport Fishing Association, highlighted the Gulf red snapper experience: states built their own data programs, tested state management via EFPs and then obtained delegated authority, which she said produced more reliable data and longer recreational seasons. Gaius urged using similar state‑led testing in the South Atlantic to avoid closures proposed in NOAA’s Amendment 59.

Critics argued the administration’s simultaneous cuts to NOAA and to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (a tool to address illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) raise credibility concerns. Witnesses and members repeatedly pressed for clarity on how the executive order’s deregulatory directives will be reconciled with the need for timely stock assessments, enforcement and supply‑chain transparency.

The subcommittee did not take legislative action; members indicated they will submit follow‑up questions and consider oversight or funding responses depending on the administration’s implementation of the EO.","Members and witnesses debated the scope and likely effects of Executive Order 14276. Supporters said it could reduce regulatory burden and expand exemptions for state testing; critics said planned cuts to NOAA and program dismantling would undercut the order’s aims.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6212565,"Members warn NOAA staffing, budget cuts are hampering fisheries science and safety",5476,1205000,6681000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76&start=1205&end=6681","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3684010-2a11eb53e0ed62a0a8980bc38cc56e76/thumbnail_1205000.jpg","/articles/6212565/Members-warn-NOAA-staffing-budget-cuts-are-hampering-fisheries-science-and-safety","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212565-21205918bbc73fb4e4bcefa17ce8fe6d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770738709&Signature=WllERvY3Rm05X6Tm6v3dkXL9wjZ4izbodfhrUbnCSG9yGpEez9PfpYU27kvwADcjLxqOIlotpTPOT9clx1S~I92jF-W1IWxXJ2wEr5I04i7W2F4NZiq47MB3KmxBU~Ge0ZGyIj4LnnV2HmLdxpQ05dj4XwZXoMQuyWtSHu8D5HvPad5pEME1QYF-tCxtMxdacPpDCF7RJpjE4I3ZOMo~dAfYWTbyhEK6sUzUDicMVXLLp~13jcyIPBaaDLCmVZr9vNmaYXqr1bIUnF0aIaCIvNfOUXtJnSCe0Xoutll9FOilvghoxoj2sR8Brmy6-R4oSFmAD1iVS3~tJLNYoVNPbg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries heard repeated testimony that staffing and budget reductions at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are disrupting fisheries science, delaying management decisions and degrading services fishermen rely on.

Ranking Member Hoyle said the Trump administration’s recent personnel reductions at NOAA have “thrown fishing communities into chaos,” and that “over one third of the NOAA Fisheries positions are now vacant.” She and witnesses described canceled surveys, interrupted permit reviews and reduced agency travel that have delayed hatchery compliance decisions and stock assessments.

The lack of timely science matters because fishery managers use those data to set seasons and quotas. Rick Belvance, chair of the Council Coordination Committee and a commercial fisherman from Point Judith, Rhode Island, told the panel that “canceled or scaled back stock assessments threaten economically important fisheries like groundfish, monkfish, and scallops in New England.” Belvance said councils are seeing delays in assessments and in the publication of regulations that allow fishermen to fish.

Jamie O'Connor, deputy executive director of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council and a fifth generation Bristol Bay fisherman, described concrete service disruptions: webcams at rural airports were turned off, volunteers could not be reimbursed for travel to surveys, and some navigational buoys and training programs were reduced. “These cuts aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet,” O'Connor testified. “They are delayed surveys, outdated stock assessments, long waits for permits, loans, and disaster relief, weakened enforcement, and failure to modernize.”

Committee members and witnesses also tied NOAA cuts to safety and forecasting concerns. O'Connor said degraded National Weather Service support and fewer high‑quality forecasts hamper small boats and pilots in Alaska and can increase risks at sea. Lawmakers noted that some NOAA programs—such as Sea Grant and the Integrated Ocean Observing System—were called out in budget proposals for elimination or deep reductions during recent administration proposals.

Members asked why NOAA leadership has not appeared to answer the subcommittee’s questions; witnesses urged Congress to restore funding and staffing to preserve the agency’s ability to deliver science, enforcement and safety. Belvance said councils continue to try to balance conservation and harvest goals but warned that “anytime there’s a compromise to the quality of the data … it directly impacts the fishing community by allowing less fish to be taken out of the water.”

The hearing record will remain open for member questions to witnesses, and lawmakers indicated they will press for details on how funding and staff shortfalls are affecting season-setting, hatchery compliance, emergency response and other operational duties.

Looking ahead, witnesses urged that any efforts to increase competitiveness or regulatory efficiency must be accompanied by sustained investment in NOAA science and staff so that management remains grounded in timely, verifiable data.","Witnesses and lawmakers told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries that recent staffing and budget cuts at NOAA are delaying stock assessments, cancelling surveys and safety services, and raising uncertainty for commercial and recreational fishermen.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Industry presses for cooperative research and real‑time data to limit broad right whale closures

Alaska witnesses tell Congress community quotas, global competition and trade pressure domestic seafood

Subcommittee splits over Trump executive order to 'restore American seafood competitiveness'

Members warn NOAA staffing, budget cuts are hampering fisheries science and safety