Healthy Ocean Hill Day 2013 was a successful day at the Capitol. During our visits we asked Congress to support:
1) Full implementation of the National Ocean Policy (NOP) and to oppose any anti-NOP riders. The National Ocean Policy provides better management tools to help tackle the serious ocean and coastal management problems of today and the future.
2) The Safety and Fraud Enforcement for Seafood (SAFE Seafood) Act (H.R. 1012/S. 520) – bipartisan legislation that would require full traceability for our seafood and help prevent mislabeling, thereby protecting consumers, honest U.S. fishermen, and our oceans.
3) Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act of 2013 (H.R. 69, S. 269, S. 267). Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, or pirate fishing, is a global problem that poses a serious threat to the commercial viability and environmental sustainability of fish stocks.
4) As well as any other local/national issues:
• National Endowment for the Oceans amendment
• Trash Reduction Act of 2013 (H.R. 1686)
• Seismic Testing
• Sea Grant Program
• Plastic Pollution
• Coral Reef Conservation Act & Harmful Algal Blooms
• Offshore Wind development
• BEACH Act Funding
• Long line fishing
• Shark Finning
• Clean Ocean Zone
• Offshore Drilling
Take a look at the materials we left in Congressional Offices. Thanks to Oceana, Marine Conservation Institute, and Healthy Ocean Coalition for providing informative materials.
• Blue Vision Summit – Background information
• National Ocean Policy Fact sheet
• SAFE Seafood Act Fact sheet
• Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (Pirate Fishing) Fact sheet
• Offices were also encouraged to sign a “dear colleague” letter in support of the final implementation plan of the National Ocean Policy.
If you or Congressional offices have questions about the legislation discussed on Healthy Ocean Hill Day, please contact the appropriate experts:
• SAFE Seafood Act (H.R. 1012/S. 520) contact Oceana (bzisser@oceana.org)
• Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (H.R. 69/ S. 267/ S. 269) contact Marine Conservation Institute (Mike.Gravitz@Marine-Conservation.org)
• National Ocean Policy contact Healthy Ocean Coalition (Sarah@littoralsociety.org)
Track the legislation we discussed on Healthy Ocean Hill Day:
H.R. 1012: Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act
S. 520: Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act
H.R. 69: Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2013
S. 267: Pirate Fishing Elimination Act
S. 269: International Fisheries Stewardship and Enforcement Act
The morning of Healthy Ocean Hill Day, we met in the Dirksen Senate Office to regroup in our delegations and hear from five Members of Congress.
• Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)
• Rep. Jared Huffman (CA02)
• Rep. Lois Capps (CA24)
• Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14)
• Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01)
Over 100 ocean advocates participated in meetings on Capitol Hill. The following states were represented.
• Alabama
• California*
• Colorado*
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Maine
• Mississippi
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Virginia
• Washington
* Largest delegations
Over 100 meetings were scheduled and attending with 14 meetings with Members of Congress.
• Rep. Jo Bonner (AL-01)
• Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA-D)
• Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02)
• Rep. John Garamendi (CA-03)
• Sen. Mark Udall (CO-D)
• Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14)
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02)
• Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12)
• Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ-06)
• Rep. Jon Runyan (NJ-03)
• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD-08)
• Rep. John Sarbanes (MD-03)
• Sen. Maria Cantwell (WA-D)
• Rep. Denny Heck (WA-10)
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Healthy Ocean Hill Day. Overall we had positive feedback and made our voice and presence known. Make sure you follow-up your meetings with a thank note and if you met with a staffer, mention the staffer by name. Reiterate your ask and their commitment. If you have a government relations department within your organization let them know how your meetings went. Visit your district offices and share your experience in Washington, D.C. and express your ocean issues.
