A group of 10 West Coast lawmakers have reached out to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to see why fishermen and processors in their region have largely been left out of a program created through COVID-19 relief measures.
Led by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), the Senators and House members sent a letter to Vilsack noting that the fishing industry in California, Oregon, and Washington state account for more than USD 500 million (EUR 417.5 million) in seafood products produced in the country, roughly about 13 percent of all domestic seafood goods.
Congress, through the CARES Act last year, passed both direct aid to U.S. fishermen and called on the Department of Agriculture to purchase more seafood products in its Section 32 program. Other COVID-19 relief packages, including the American Rescue Plan, have also included in Section 32 funding for seafood products…