S. 497 would establish the American Fisheries Advisory Committee within the Department of Commerce (DOC). The committee would consist of representatives from each of six geographic regions and at-large members with experience in the seafood and fisheries industries, as selected by DOC. Under the bill, the committee would be responsible for identifying the needs of fishing communities, developing requests for proposals for research and development grants to meet those needs, reviewing grant applications, and selecting applicants to receive funding.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration currently administers the fishery research and development grant program described above. That program’s funding is derived from DOC’s permanent authority to spend 30 percent of customs receipts collected from imported fishery products. In 2021, the agency spent $6.4 million on the grant program. S. 497 would shift the authority to administer the grant program to the newly established committee. The bill also would expand eligibility for grant applicants to include projects related to fisheries science and recreational fishing.
