| Gulf Disaster Funding Letter to Congress |
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Read the Joint Letter to Congress for Gulf Disaster Funding, filed on May 21, 2010
May 21, 2010
Our organizations, representing fishermen throughout the Gulf of Mexico and 700,000 members nationwide, recommend several urgent initiatives to mitigate the devastating ecological and economic consequences of the ongoing BP-Deepwater Horizon oil well disaster in our region and beyond. The livelihoods of commercial and recreational fishermen - and the coastal businesses and communities that rely on them - are dependent upon a healthy and productive ocean. The oil spill has jeopardized the multi-billion dollar fishing, tourism and other ocean- related industries in the Gulf, and we respectfully request that you consider our comments as you respond to this growing crisis. First and foremost, we urge BP and its business partners, the Congress, and the Administration to ensure that all possible means are applied to regain control of the oil well, ensure that the dispersants used are the safest and most effective available, and that damages are cleaned-up as quickly as possible. Once the spill is stopped, the short- and long-term measures below are needed to begin the long process of helping ocean resources and coastal communities recover. Short-term: Institute a fishing community recovery program. •   LOSS RECOVERY: Help commercial and recreational fishermen and fishing-related businesses recover lost income including commercial fishing operations, seafood dealers and retailers, charter vessels and guides, bait and tackle shops, marinas, and others harmed. •   SEAFOOD SAFETY: Help the commercial and charter boat fishing industries implement seafood and catch traceability and verification systems to ensure that commercial fishermen and charter vessels harvest fish from waters declared safe and healthy by federal regulators. •   PUBLIC INFORMATION: Assist the commercial and recreational fishing industries to rebuild business by providing assistance to develop a public information and media campaign to highlight the real, versus perceived, impacts of catching and consuming Gulf fish to ensure consumer confidence. •   FISHERIES BASELINE INFORMATION: Accelerate stock assessment and data collection efforts for commercial and recreational fisheries to expand and enhance baseline data on the present status of key fisheries affected by the oil spill. Long-term: Increase fishery and community resilience through better science and management. •   SCIENCE AND DATA: Improve science and data collection for commercial and recreational fisheries by providing significant additional funding to measure the long- term impact of the oil spill on fish stocks and track the pace of their recovery, and engage fishing vessels in research that contributes to better fishery science and enhanced seafood safety. •   FISHERY MANAGEMENT: Increase fishing business resilience to natural and man- made disasters by accelerating fishery management reforms that achieve compliance with fishery management goals. Sincerely, |