Letter To Secretary Gary Locke

Letter

Letter To Secretary Gary Locke

U.S. Sen. David Vitter today sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke requesting that he declare a commercial fishery disaster, as authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, to mobilize immediate federal assistance to the Gulf Coast.

Below is the full text of the letter:

May 14, 2010

Secretary Gary Locke
U.S. Department of Commerce
14th and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230

Dear Secretary Locke:

As Louisiana recovers from the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it is imperative that we take into account the devastating effects this disaster is having on commercial fishermen and fisheries infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico. I ask you to declare commercial fishery disaster assistance, as authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and mobilize immediate federal assistance to the Gulf Coast.

Louisiana's nationally vital fisheries have sustained another major disaster. As the largest producer of domestic seafood for the contiguous United States, restoration of Louisiana's fisheries, fisheries infrastructure, and habitat is critical to our nation's economy, as well as to families throughout the entire state. NOAA Fisheries reports that the Venice/Empire region of Louisiana remains the third largest seafood port in continental North America. Louisiana fisheries are the largest fisheries in the region, which alone produce $2.4 billion in revenues, account for 27,000 jobs, and harvest 70 percent of all the seafood produced in the Gulf. These companies proved to be critical in re-establishing local infrastructure by borrowing more than $15 million after Hurricane Katrina in order to save jobs and speed up the Gulf recovery process.

Declaring a commercial fisheries failure will begin the process of delivering financial assistance to the affected commercial fishing industry in Louisiana and helping get Louisiana fishermen back on the water. Thank you for considering this urgent request. We look forward to working with you as Louisiana recovers from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Sincerely,

David Vitter
United States Senator

Source