Senator Clinton and Congressman McHugh Urge Department of Agriculture to Fix Fish Import Rule that is Hurting Upstate New York Business

Senator Clinton and Congressman McHugh Urge Department of Agriculture to Fix Fish Import Rule that is Hurting Upstate New York Business

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Congressman John M. McHugh (R-NY) are urging the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to fix a rule that is severely impacting Thousand Islands Fishery, a local fish importer in Alexandria Bay, NY.

In October of last year, APHIS issued a federal emergency order immediately prohibiting the importation of 37 species of live fish from two Canadian provinces to contain the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS). VHS is a pathogen of fresh and saltwater fish, and is causing an emerging disease in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. In a letter sent to APHIS Administrator Dr. Ron DeHaven, Clinton and McHugh both indicated their complete support for efforts to combat the spread of VHS and other invasive species, but said they believed that an exception could be made for fish that was taken from Canada for immediate processing and sale to restaurants, which would pose no threat to local waterways.

"There is no question that we must protect New York's lakes and streams, but the recent fish import ban goes too far in some cases and is hurting New York businesses," said Senator Clinton. "I urge the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to act as quickly as possible to allow our North Country businesses to resume importing fish for uses that do not pose a threat to the health of New York's fisheries."

"While safeguarding the species in America's lakes and rivers is important, this is a prime example of federal regulations having unintended consequences," said Congressman McHugh. "In this case, the rule is putting the livelihoods of small business owners at risk and it is imperative that federal officials expedite the process and issue an amended ruling on this matter."

The letter explains the importance of certain species of fish, in particular Brown Bullhead, that are critical to the livelihood of small businesses like Thousand Islands Fishery. Importation of this type of fish from Canada for immediate processing and sale to restaurants presents a minimal risk of the spread of VHS. An interim ruling could lift the ban on importation of Brown Bullheads from Canada and include mechanisms to ensure that imports are properly tracked and handled in order to make sure that the imports did not result in the spread of VHS.

[The full text of the letter sent to Dr. DeHaven is below]

Dr. Ron DeHaven
Administrator
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Dr. DeHaven:

We write in regards to the recent regulatory actions taken by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to contain the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS). While we support APHIS efforts to combat the spread of VHS and other animals and diseases that threaten the Great Lakes and many smaller New York water bodies, we are very concerned that this particular action may be unnecessarily affecting a New York fish importer.

On October 24, 2006, APHIS issued a federal emergency order immediately prohibiting the importation of 37 species of live fish susceptible to VHS from two Canadian provinces into the United States. The order also stopped interstate movement of the same species among the eight states bordering the Great Lakes, and is impacting New York businesses. We are particularly concerned about the impact of this order on New York businesses that import Brown Bullhead from Canada for processing and sale to restaurants.

It is our understanding that importation of this type of fish from Canada for immediate processing and sale to restaurants presents a minimal risk of the spread of VHS. As a result, we understand that APHIS intends to lift the ban on importation of these fish as soon as the emergency order can be replaced with an interim rule that includes mechanisms to ensure that imports are properly tracked and handled. Imports are critical because there is no commercial fishery for this species in New York. The season for this fish will soon begin, and the survival of a small New York business may depend on a speedy resolution of this issue. We urge you to move as quickly as possible to issue an interim rule that will both allow imports of these fish and protect the Great Lakes and New York waters from the spread of VHS.

We appreciate your consideration of our concerns and look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton
John M. McHugh

http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=269281&&