We wanted to make sure that folks in the commercial fishing industry were aware that there is currently a Saltonstall-Kennedy Revision sponsored by Senators John Kerry and Olympia Snowe that has been stuck in the Commerce, Justice and State appropriations bill. This should be on everyone in the industry’s radar, and we ask that you educate yourself as to the content of the language and then contact your Alaska congressional delegation to provide input relative to any revisions needed.
SK funding from import tariffs has been collected by USDA and transferred to NOAA since the Act was passed in the 1950’s. AFDF has been the recipient of these funds in the past, which resulted in building the first shore-based Surimi plant in Kodiak. For the last several years, NOAA has received these funds and used them as operational funds in an effort to cover shortfalls in an expanding budget. Fisheries Development Corporations or Foundations are joining together to try and get these funds redirected back to the cooperative research programs that the Act was specifically passed to benefit.
