On August 31, RIFPC Board President Diane Lynch attended a meeting with Senator Jack Reed, Janet Coit, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Assistant Administrator; Bob Ballou, RI Department of Environmental Management Assistant to the Director; Greg Silkes, American Mussel Harvesters General Manager; Lisa Cornish, Seafood Nutrition Partnership President; and other seafood stakeholders. The discussion centered on the sector’s environmental and economic importance, as well as seafood’s value as a nutritional resource.
Cornish is rallying for a $25 million national campaign about the health benefits of seafood, looking for permanent NOAA funding, which Senator Reed has been supporting.
One of RIFPC’s food systems policy priorities is to preserve and support commercial fisheries. RI’s fisheries and commercial seafood sector, which includes commercial fishing and shellfishing as well as wholesale seafood dealers and other related businesses, includes close to 450 businesses, directly employs 3200 people, and generates close to $540 million in annual revenues.