June 12 – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon, along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04) and Andrea Salinas (OR-06) have sent a letter to Bruce Summers, administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who oversees the agency’s Agricultural Marketing Service, calling on the USDA to provide critical federal support to fishermen the West Coast and fish harvesters, processors and distributors.
“Commercial fishing and seafood processing on the West Coast are important contributors to the nation’s seafood production and agricultural economy,” the lawmakers wrote. “The industry serves as the economic backbone for countless small ports and rural coastal communities in Oregon. Fishing activities are deeply ingrained in the local culture and way of life on the Oregon coast.”
The West Coast seafood industry has historically been largely left out of previous USDA commodity purchasing programs until lawmakers successfully pushed for major purchasing breakthroughs in recent years, including the USDA’s $52 million purchase of Pacific Groundfish and seafood products last year. This change 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.
“In addition, an influx of imported grades and substitutes from other countries has intensified competition in the domestic market, making it difficult for domestic producers to sell their supplies at desired prices,” the lawmakers said in their letter. “In particular, Rockfish and Whiting harvest and production have 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 excess inventories.”
The lawmakers’ letter calls on USDA to include seafood products from the Pacific Northwest and West Coast, which are currently produced in high volumes and are easily accessible and transportable, in this year’s Section 32 purchases for immediate distribution to food aid programs. This also applies to whiting fillets on the west coast and redfish fillets in 2024.
“We greatly appreciate the efforts the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made in recent years to support our industry. These remain extremely challenging times, and we cannot overstate the importance of the USDA’s actions to expand purchasing programs. quantities of domestically produced seafood,” the lawmakers concluded.
