Congressman Frank Pallone
“This was just introduced, but we will see it all the way through,” a joyous Congressman Frank Pallone told Highlands clammers and borough officials Tuesday morning when came to the borough and announced a bill he sponsored promoting more attention to seafood and the health benefits of seafood introduced with bipartisan support.
Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon and Councilwoman Joann Olszewski were among those available for the morning meeting with the Congressman, who also introduced Michael Deluca from the Seafood Research Lab and explained how the bill also requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report to Congress on how much funding is spent on aquaculture as opposed to agriculture and its impact on seafood purchases, grants and other purposes.
Mayor Broullon praised the new bill, thanking Pallone for bringing attention to the seafood industry and the clamming industry in particular, and pointing out it brings better parody to the aquaculture industry as a whole. She said the act, known as the SEAS ACT, is a great opportunity for the seafood industry to have parity with land farmers.
In thanking the Congressman for sponsoring the legislation, she said “The commitment to Reporting, Education, Regional Centers, Research, Grants and Crop Insurance will be a welcome boost to our local economy here at the James T. White Clam Depuration Plant and across the region.”
Keith Craffey, president of the Highlands Clammers Association, also praised Pallone and thanked him for the legislation which will afford more protection and assistance for the seafood industry and its workers.
Pallone, even though he anticipates great support on the bipartisan bill, promised the crowd at the James T. White Depuration plant beach on Cedar St. that “we will be fighting” for its passage until it is passed into law.
The SEAS ACT, which has been referred to committee, would require the Secretary of Agriculture to report to Congress spending by the Department of Agriculture related to seafood purchases and grants, and for other purposes no later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter through fiscal year 2026.
The report must also include the total amount of expenditures on seafood and other aquaculture purchase for promotion of the industry, outreach supporting seafood and aquaculture and the value of such expenditures; the number of grants for the seafood and aquaculture industries, and other comparisons to paying attention to those who make their living on the water as opposed to on the land.
Pallone told the crowd in Highlands “I just eat seafood because it tastes so good,” but said the bill also includes a mandate for more education on the physical and health benefits of eating seafood, the number of vitamins and mineral are in varieties of seafood,, and the importance of keeping seafood an important part of every diet.
The bill also calls for evaluating the potential environmental benefits of the aquaculture industry with respect to climate control, conservation of natural resources as well as impact on pollution, disease and waste compared to agriculture.
Concerning education, the bill includes a mandate for the federal government to develop and implement a requirement for employees of the Farm Service Agency to offer training for all existing and new employees on eligibility for aquaculture-related Federal grants and programs as well as the support of the Department of Agriculture to provide this for seafood producers and aquaculture, all within two years, Pallone pointed out.
Included in the bill is also the mandate, that the Department of Agriculture plays a vital role in the United States agriculture system; and reiterates the eligibility of aquaculture and seafood products and producers for programs administered by the Secretary.
The bill calls for webinars every two years for conferences providing for education of officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture and other in the field of aquaculture in the United States.
