!

August!31,!2015!
!
The!Honorable!Barack!Obama!
President!!
The!United!States!of!America!
1600!Pennsylvania!Ave!NW!
Washington,!DC!20006!
!
Dear!Mr.!President,!
!
The!Seafood!Harvesters!of!America!(the!Harvesters)!represents!17!commercial!fishing!
organizations1!from!Alaska,!to!the!Gulf!of!Mexico!and!New!England.!!As!its!Executive!
Director,!a!lifeTlong!Alaskan!fisherman,!Bristol!Bay!fisherman,!and!the!son!of!a!man!who!
has!fished!for!45!years!in!Alaskan!waters,!I!welcome!you!to!this!great!state.!
!
The!Harvesters!applauds!you!for!choosing!to!sit!down!with!real,!everyday!Alaskan!
commercial!fishermen!who!nobly!harvest!an!American!public!resource.!!We!urge!you!to!
take!this!opportunity!to!speak!to!the!issues!of!importance!that!are!essential!to!the!
livelihoods!of!commercial!fishermen!in!Alaska!and!the!nation.!
!
We!are!writing!to!ask!that!you!use!your!trip!to!Alaska,!and!your!meeting!with!commercial!
fishermen!in!Bristol!Bay,!to!send!a!strong!message!about!how!the!MagnusonTStevens!
Fishery!Conservation!and!Management!Act!(MSA)!is!working!for!this!nation.!!Alaskans!have!
demonstrated!the!audacity!to!succeed!in!the!presence!of!all!the!uncertainties!associated!
with!climate!change.!!We!do!so!as!an!industry!shielded!by!a!strong!MSA,!which!guides!a!
public,!scienceTbased!decisionTmaking!process.!!!
!
The!Harvesters!agree!with!your!Administration!that!the!MSA!reauthorization!needs!
minimal!changes.!While!we!are!amenable!to!some!minor!changes,!we!are!calling!on!
lawmakers!and!your!Administration!to!keep!the!MSA!largely!intact.!!Mr.!President,!one!of!
our!biggest!concerns!is!legislative!attempts!to!allow!individual!states!to!takeover!species!
management!in!federal!waters,!which!would!set!a!dangerous!precedent!that!could!unravel!
the!responsible!management!of!Americas!fisheries.!!Thank!you!for!your!tireless!support!of!
this!time!T!and!climate!T!tested!document.!!U.S.!fishery!management!is!a!beacon!of!
prosperity!within!global!fisheries.!
!
The!global!economic!environment!that!our!products!compete!in!is!now!protected!through!
the!establishment!of!your!Task!Force!to!combat!illegal,!unreported!and!unregulated!(IUU)!
fishing.!!By!importing!seafood,!the!U.S.!imports!the!ethics!and!ethos!of!the!country!of!
origins!fishing!practices.!!As!a!world!leader!in!sustainable!fishery!management,!American!
consumers!demand!our!imported!seafood!to!be!of!the!same!ethics!and!ethos!that!American!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1!Alaska!Bering!Sea!Crabbers,!Alaska!Whitefish!Trawlers!Association,!Cape!Cod!Commercial!Fishermens!Alliance,!Cordova!District!
Fishermen!United,!Fishing!Vessel!Owners!Association,!Fort!Bragg!Groundfish!Association,!Georges!Bank!Cod!Fixed!Gear!Sector,!Inc.,!Gulf!
Fishermens!Association,!Gulf!of!Mexico!Reef!Fish!Shareholders!Alliance,!New!Hampshire!Groundfish!Sectors,!North!Pacific!Fishing!
Association,!Purse!Seine!Vessel!Owners!Association,!Rhode!Island!Commercial!Fishermens!Association,!South!Atlantic!Fishermens!
Association,!United!Catcher!Boats!

fishermen!harvest.!!We!commend!the!Task!Force!for!recognizing!sustainable!fisheries!as!an!
enormous!benefit!to!ocean!stakeholders.!!
!
Additionally,!we!ask!that!the!Seafood!Harvesters!of!America!have!a!seat!at!the!table!in!
future!discussions!regarding!marine!monuments!and!protected!areas.!!It!is!critically!
important!that!these!initiatives!are!locally!driven!and!focus!on!best!available!science!rather!
than!politics.!!We!look!forward!to!working!with!your!Administration!to!ensure!that!we!
protect!our!delicate!ocean!resources!and!our!American!fishing!economy!into!the!future.!!
!
Millions!of!people!!grocery!patrons,!restaurant!owners,!and!consumers!nationwide!!rely!
on!commercial!fisheries!to!help!get!their!dinner!from!ocean!to!plate.!!In!2012!alone,!
Americans!consumed!4.5!billion!pounds!of!seafood,!which!added!1.3!million!direct!and!
indirect!jobs!to!our!nations!economy.!!Seafood!Harvesters!of!America!is!the!voice!for!our!
countrys!190Tfoot!trawlers!as!well!as!the!30Tfoot!hook!and!line!fishermen!and!are!working!
hard!to!ensure!the!food!security!of!our!great!nation!remains!sustainable!and!thriving.!!
!
With!the!support!of!your!Administration!and!policy!makers!in!Washington!D.C.,!salmon,!
crab,!pollock!and!snapper!!to!name!just!a!few!!will!remain!part!of!a!complete!American!
dinner.!
!
Sincerely,!
!
!
!
!
Brett!Veerhusen!
Executive!Director!
Seafood!Harvesters!of!America!
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