Political Quotes

“today I am introducing the Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act of 2020 along with my colleague Senator Whitehouse. This legislation seeks to address a longstanding inequity in our Nation's fisheries management system which denies Rhode Islanders a voice in the governance of many stocks that local fishermen catch and rely upon for their livelihoods. The Magnuson-Stevens Act granted Rhode Island voting membership on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), as NEFMC-managed stocks represent a significant percentage of landings and revenue for the State. However, Rhode Island has an even larger stake in Mid- Atlantic fisheries. Yet, it does not have voting representation on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), which currently consists of representatives from New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. According to data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), between 2014 and 2108, Rhode Island accounted for approximately a quarter of the commercial landings by value from stocks under the MAFMC's sole jurisdiction, and its commercial landings were greater than the total landings of all of the states currently represented on the MAFMC with the exception of New Jersey. As the rest of the Nation learned during the Democratic National Convention, the Rhode Island State appetizer is calamari. That is squid.…”