Kilmer, Herrera Beutler, Murray, Cantwell and Local Leaders Applaud Inclusion of Fisheries Disaster Funds in Congress’s Spending Plan
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Representatives Derek Kilmer and Jaime Herrera Beutler and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell joined together to announce the passage of $200 million in supplemental funding to support multiple commercial and tribal fishery disaster declarations in Washington, Alaska and California as part of the government funding plan passed by the Senate and House.
“Part of what’s wrong with Washington, DC is that too many people forget about the impact of what Congress does on people in the rest of the country. This is good news for Washington families and for our coastal communities. I’ve been fighting for this funding for a year and a half because fisheries are a key part of the state’s economy and culture. Our communities urgently need help recovering from multiple disasters which have wreaked havoc on our state’s waters and the finances of the people who rely on them to make a living,” Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) said.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03) said: “Through no fault of their own, our fishermen are facing a disaster that is threatening the resources that they depend on for their livelihoods. Now Congress has to do its part to step in with disaster assistance for our coastal communities who fuel the economy and create jobs in Pacific County,”
“The fishing industry is critically important to our state’s economy, and to communities up and down our coast—so when fishing families are hurt by forces out of their control, we should step up our support like any other disaster,” Senator Patty Murray said. “This deal is a good down payment on our efforts to get help to families, and I will keep fighting to ensure these critically important funds make it to communities in our state.”
“The fishing industry is a key economic driver on our coast, supporting thousands of commercial, tribal and recreational fishing and processing jobs,” said Senator Maria Cantwell. “This fishery disaster funding represents a critical investment in fishing families and the future of their communities. I will fight to ensure this funding is included in the final legislation, so that we can support fishing families and grow this important part of our maritime economy.”
Since 2014, multiple natural disasters have devastated the region’s fisheries and coastal economies. Persistent harmful algal blooms and a mysterious pocket of warm water, known as “the blob”, triggered sudden fish and bird die-offs, whale strandings and other negative environmental consequences. These natural events led to closures in the state’s commercial, recreational and tribal fisheries and caused significant economic hardship for fishing dependent communities. The relief provided today could be used to support investments that will encourage fishery recovery and job training, among other initiatives.
“Tribal cultures, economies and treaty-reserved rights are dependent on healthy natural resources. This is especially true for salmon, which are declining at an alarming rate because their habitat is disappearing faster than it can be restored,” Lorraine Loomis, Chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission said. “This disaster relief funding will help to maintain our way of life as we work cooperatively to protect and restore salmon and other natural resources in western Washington.”
According to Greg Mueller, the Executive Director of the Washington Trollers Association, the disasters, particularly those experienced since 2016 caused economic distress for the commercial salmon fishermen in Westport, and the loss of income was felt community-wide.
“Some of our guys have had to refinance, others are just hanging on by a thread,” Muller said. He explained commercial fisherman work year-round, and to make a living, they have to string together two or three successful catches of salmon, crab, tuna or other local species. “None of those have come through over the last couple of years because of the disasters we’ve experienced,” Mueller said. “This is no different than a wildfire or a hurricane. A lot of the people in our community felt the effects of this, and it is great to see the government take on the responsibility to help us out.”
Butch Smith, Owner of the Ilwaco-based Coho Charters and Motel, echoed Muller. “This is the difference between people losing their boats and keeping hope alive, especially for the younger people trying to get into the fishing business,” Smith said. “This is huge for our ocean salmon fisherman. Our fishermen have been hurting since the summer of 2016. I hope this means for-sale signs come down on the salmon trollers in our harbors. On behalf of them, I give a huge thanks to Congressman Kilmer, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler and Senators Cantwell and Murray for coming through for our costal fisherman.”
The commercial and recreational fishing industry in Washington state supports more than 67,000 jobs and contributes over $300 million in revenue. The fishing and processing industry in Pacific County contributes over $150,000,000 to the local economy. In Grays Harbor County, the 2016 landing for Westport totaled 108 million pounds of crab, salmon, hake and other seafood. According to the Daily World, Westport placed 10th nationwide in seafood landings and 14th in the nation in total value of seafood landed with about $59 million in product. Westport’s 2016 haul was the most valuable and highest volume on the entire West Coast, outside of Alaska.
The road to today’s victory was long and caps years of work by all four lawmakers. Kilmer and Herrera Buetler repeatedly called for disaster declarations from the Department of Commerce and for the inclusion of funding for these disasters in previous funding bills. In July, Representatives Kilmer and Herrera Beutler successfully added $20 million in stopgap disaster relief to a key House Appropriations Bill, but the failure to pass a full year spending bill meant this disaster relief was placed on hold. In November, the Members also called on the executive branch to include additional funding for these disasters in the administration’s supplemental budget request. Most recently, Senators Murray and Cantwell urged their colleagues to include the supplemental funding, noting how prolonged diminished returns have hurt the livelihood of fishing families and communities, and affected the economy.