This week on April 15 the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it is opening an Office of Seafood within the department. This first of its kind office comes after years of advocacy from Alaska’s Congressional delegation and fishermen.
The department said in a press release that the Office of Seafood will, “prioritize customer service and ease of navigation for American seafood cultivators, producers, and processors to access USDA programs.”
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins made the announcement during a news conference on Wednesday, April 15, in conjunction with Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Sullivan celebrated the announcement virtually Thursday at ComFish, Kodiak’s annual commercial fisheries trade show. He said this new office will allow Alaska fishermen to be treated like farmers under the department.
“And this I think is the beginning of our ability, of fishermen around the country, but especially Alaska fishermen, to start to plug into the risk management programs that farmers access; to help you guys make it so it’s not so risky, and up and down and dependent on weather and so many other things," he said.
Sullivan added that last fall, he put money into the appropriations bill for the specific purpose of opening this new Office of Seafood.
Caitlin Yeager is the Vice President of Policy and Outreach with the At-Sea Processors Association, a trade association representing catcher processor vessels in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. She told ComFish attendees on Thursday that the new office is a win for all fishermen.
“Fishermen are food producers and they deserve every benefit that farmers have provided to them as well, things like crop insurance, low interest loans," Yeager said. "We have an aging fleet, we have aging infrastructure and we need the same assurances that are provided to them.”
Sterling Prout, a Bering Sea crabber from Kodiak, and part owner of the F/V Silver Spray said in a press release that he sees the Office of Seafood opening up new opportunities for fishermen to expand markets for American seafood.
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association, said in the same press release that the creation of an office of seafood is a “game changer” for the fleet.
More information about the new office’s resources can be found online at USDA.gov/seafood.
