{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-murray-push-to-declare-six-fisheries-disasters-in-washington-state-", "Cantwell, Murray Push to Declare Six Fisheries Disasters in Washington State", "2016-12-02", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Maria Cantwell", "C000127", "www.cantwell.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.02.16\n    \t\t\t Cantwell, Murray Push to Declare Six Fisheries Disasters in Washington State  \n    \t\t\t\n    \t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n    \t\t\t\t Commerce Secretary\u2019s designation would provide relief to Coho, Sockeye, and Dungeness fishermen and their communities\n    \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n    \t\t\t WASHINGTON, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker calling for a declaration of commercial fisheries failures for six pending fishery disaster requests.\r\nFishing communities up and down Washington\u2019s coast have suffered through several years of lower-than-expected catch. A federal fishery disaster declaration would make communities eligible for funding for projects such as fisheries recovery, job training, and infrastructure investments in the communities hardest hit.\r\nWashington\u2019s maritime industry supports almost 60,000 jobs directly and contributes $30 billion in economic activity each year, not including the shipbuilders, hotels, restaurants, manufacturers, and outfitters that benefit indirectly. The fisheries are also of tremendous significance to the state\u2019s Tribal fishermen, who have been harvesting fish on Washington\u2019s coast for thousands of years.\r\n\u201cCommercial, recreational, charter and tribal fisheries are an integral part of Washington\u2019s maritime economy, as well as our culture and heritage,\u201d the Senators wrote. \u201cPrompt declaration of these disasters will help meet the needs of communities struggling as a result of these disasters. We appreciate your full and fair consideration of these requests.\u201d\r\nThe outstanding requests currently before the Department of Commerce include:\r\n \r\n2014 Fraser River sockeye salmon. Requested in January 2015 by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Makah Tribal Council Chairman Timothy Greene, Sr., and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Chairwoman Frances Charles.\r\n2015 Grays Harbor coho salmon. Requested by Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp on November 23, 2015.\r\n2015 South Puget Sound coho salmon. Requested by Squaxin Island Tribe Natural Resources Policy Representative Joseph Peters in May 2016, by Port Gamble S\u2019Klallam Tribe Chairman Jeromy Sullivan on June 22, 2016, and by Jamestown S\u2019Klallam Tribe Chairman W. Ron Allen on July 5, 2016.\r\n2015 Dungeness crab. Requested by Quileute Tribal Council Chairman Charles Woodruff on June 23, 2016.\r\n2015 statewide coho salmon. Requested by Washington Governor Jay Inslee on September, 14, 2016.\r\n2016 statewide coho salmon. Requested by Washington Governor Jay Inslee on September, 14, 2016.\r\n \r\nFull text of the letter can be found below.\r\nThe Honorable Penny Pritzker\r\nSecretary of Commerce\r\nUnited States Department of Commerce\r\n1401 Constitution Ave NW   Washington, D.C. 20230\r\nDear Secretary Pritzker:\r\nWe write to urge you to use your authority under Section 312 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. \u00a7 1861a) to declare commercial fishery failures for six pending Washington state fishery disaster requests. The importance of these fisheries to the Pacific Northwest is enormous, and their failure has far reaching consequences for tribal, commercial and recreational fishermen across Washington state and the Pacific Northwest.\r\nCommercial, recreational, charter and tribal fisheries are an integral part of Washington\u2019s maritime economy, as well as our culture and heritage. The maritime industry in Washington state alone directly employs 57,700 people and contributes $30 billion in economic activity annually. In turn, fisheries support industries such as shipbuilders, hotels, restaurants, gear manufacturers, and outfitters. However, several years of lower-than-expected returns have compounded the economic and cultural effects that local fishery disasters have had on coastal communities.\r\nIn addition to the economic impacts on the commercial maritime industry, fishery disasters limit the opportunity for Tribal subsistence and ceremonial harvests. Fishery disasters result in a significant nutritional, cultural and financial burden for Washington state tribes, adding to the importance of a swift response to fishery disasters. Tribes have been fishing the coastal waters of Washington state for thousands of years and the federal government has a responsibility to uphold their treaty fishing rights.\r\nGiven the vast impact that these disasters have had on communities across Washington state, we request an expedited review of the following requests, currently before the Department of Commerce:\r\n \r\n2014 Fraser River sockeye salmon. Requested in January 2015 by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Makah Tribal Council Chairman Timothy Greene, Sr., and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Chairwoman Frances Charles.\r\n2015 Grays Harbor coho salmon. Requested by Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp on November 23, 2015.\r\n2015 South Puget Sound coho salmon. Requested by Squaxin Island Tribe Natural Resources Policy Representative Joseph Peters in May 2016, by Port Gamble S\u2019Klallam Tribe Chairman Jeromy Sullivan on June 22, 2016, and by Jamestown S\u2019Klallam Tribe Chairman W. Ron Allen on July 5, 2016.\r\n2015 Dungeness crab. Requested by Quileute Tribal Council Chairman Charles Woodruff on June 23, 2016.\r\n2015 statewide coho salmon. Requested by Washington Governor Jay Inslee on September, 14, 2016.\r\n2016 statewide coho salmon. Requested by Washington Governor Jay Inslee on September, 14, 2016.\r\n \r\nPrompt declaration of these disasters will help meet the needs of communities struggling as a result of these disasters. We appreciate your full and fair consideration of these requests", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-murray-push-to-declare-six-fisheries-disasters-in-washington-state-"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7808517441153526, "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"}