Dr. William Hogarth, assistant administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) joined Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez in updating members of Congress and State officials tonight via conference call on the status of the Department of Commerce’s activities to help fishing communities in Oregon and California. The briefing follows trips to the region by Dr. Hogarth and NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., US Navy (Retired).
Secretary Gutierrez recognized the unique nature of the situation and deployed our resources to expedite the gathering of necessary data. In traveling to California and Oregon, we gathered input first-hand from those involved in the fishing industry," said Hogarth. "I greatly appreciate the cooperation of the fishing community as we work together in gathering the necessary facts." "Once July data are in and verified, I expect this expedited review process will allow for a decision to be made in a matter of weeks," said Hogarth. "While it is extremely rare for us to be able to make a determination before a fishing season is complete, I believe this situation clearly warrants such expediency." Background On July 6, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez directed Admiral Lautenbacher and Dr. Hogarth to visit the region to try to expedite the data collection necessary to make a commercial fishery failure determination. On July 13-15, Hogarth traveled to Portland, Newport and Coos Bay in Oregon and Eureka and San Francisco in California. He met with state government officials, fishermen, processors, fish buyers, suppliers and others in the fishing community who detailed the economic impacts of this year’s fishing season. On July 20, Lautenbacher met with state officials from Oregon and California and officials from the Economic Development Administration and Small Business Administration to discuss administering economic aid to affected communities.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
