Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan had sharp words for the federal government last week. He criticized both the Trump and Biden administrations for failing to ensure timely fisheries surveys and regulations—a breakdown he says is putting commercial fishermen at risk across the country.
“The federal government has to do two things: they need to do robust surveys for accurate stock assessments and timely regulations to open fisheries. That is it. When the federal government does not do that, you screw hard-working fishermen,” Sullivan said, as reported by Seafood Source. “To be honest, right now, it is not looking good, and I am getting really upset.”
The hearing was convened to question Paul Dabber, President Trump’s nominee for deputy secretary of commerce. But Sullivan used the moment to issue a full-throated rebuke of federal fisheries mismanagement. He pointed to delayed survey work, sluggish regulatory approvals, and a severe staffing shortfall at NOAA Fisheries that has left critical commercial seasons hanging in the balance.
Earlier this spring, Sullivan and fellow Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski had to intervene personally to ensure that black cod and halibut seasons opened on time in March. Meanwhile, other fisheries around the country have faced similar delays. Last week, NOAA Fisheries had to take emergency action to open the Northeast multispecies fishery on time for its May 1 season.
Much of the blame, Sullivan said, lies in the aftermath of mass NOAA employee firings during Trump’s first term, which left the agency without the capacity to complete stock assessments and publish timely regulations.
While Sullivan didn’t hold back on criticism of Biden-era priorities- sating the administration focused too heavily on climate change while neglecting essential fisheries science- he made it clear that recent actions under Trump’s water are also failing the fleet.
“Biden was horrible. We threw a ton of money at NOAA, and the guy did climate change and all this BS. He did not look at stock assessment surveys,” Sullivan said.
At the core of the regulatory gridlock is an executive order from Trump’s first term that required agencies to eliminate ten regulations for every new one created. While hunting and fishing rules were exempt during that administration’s first go-around, that exemption appears to have vanished, complicating NOAA’s ability to open or close fisheries.
“You need regulations to open a fishery. You need regulations to close a fishery,” said Elizabeth Lewis, a senior associate attorney with Eubanks & Associates. “In the first Trump administration, they exempted hunting and fishing regulations from this freeze. That has not happened this time.”
Sullivan's frustrations boiled over in the hearing, as he urged NOAA and the Department of Commerce to immediately approve survey contracts for the NOAA research vessel Oscar Dyson, warning that delays would once again put fisheries at risk.
“I hope to hell someone from NOAA is watching- get on with the surveys, goddamn it. You can tell I am rattled about this,” Sullivan said.
He made it clear that Oscar Dyson will not be able to conduct the critical assessments needed for upcoming seasons unless the contract is signed within days.
