{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://magaziner.house.gov/media/press-releases/ri-delegation-announces-348-million-innovative-fishing-gear-boost-north", "RI Delegation Announces $3.48 Million for Innovative Fishing Gear to Boost North Atlantic Right Whale Conservation Efforts", "2023-11-27", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Seth Magaziner", "M001223", "magaziner.house.gov", "magaziner", "https://magaziner.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Providence, RI \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo announced $3,483,190 in grants to support the adoption of innovative fishing gear in Rhode Island and across New England to reduce the risk of gear entanglement for the endangered North Atlantic right whales.\n\nThese grants, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will provide additional resources to aid lobster and other fixed-gear fishermen in developing and bringing new ropeless gear technology onto their boats.\n\nFunding for the grant program, which was informed by the Right Whale Coexistence Act that Whitehouse and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced, was included in the bipartisan FY2023 government spending bill.\n\n\u201cRhode Island\u2019s fishermen are a vital component of our local economy. This federal funding will ensure that our fishermen have the tools and latest technology they need while helping to protect endangered right whales,\u201d said Senator Reed.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased to announce this funding to support innovation in the fishing industry and help equip fishermen with the latest ropeless technology. Fewer ropes in the water will mean fewer entanglements for the endangered North Atlantic right whales,\u201d said Senator Whitehouse, co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus.\n\n\u201cThis federal funding will help Rhode Island\u2019s fishing industry by making ropeless gear more affordable while also avoiding entanglements and protecting endangered species,\u201d said Congressman Magaziner, a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources.\n\n\u201cThe federal funding I am pleased to announce with my colleagues will bolster our conservation efforts, help us improve the fishing industry in our region, and reduce human impacts on North Atlantic right whales,\u201d said Congressman Amo. \u201cEnsuring the hardworking men and women in Rhode Island\u2019s fishing industry have the latest equipment will benefit fishery operations by helping to reduce entanglements in fishing gear. Thanks to Senator Whitehouse\u2019s leadership, our state will continue to be a shining example of how federal investments can improve our oceans and protect highly endangered species.\u201d\n\n\u201cNOAA Fisheries and its partners are dedicated to pursuing innovative approaches to recover and conserve the endangered North Atlantic right whales through our Road to Recovery efforts,\u201d said Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, Janet Coit. \u201cThis grant program and collaboration with NFWF will ensure funding can quickly support an array of projects and accelerate progress towards ropeless technologies to reduce entanglement in fishing gear.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://magaziner.house.gov/media/press-releases/ri-delegation-announces-348-million-innovative-fishing-gear-boost-north"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9261630475521088, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}