Seafood Harvesters of America Applauds Largest USDA Seafood Purchase

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 13, 2021

Media Contacts: Blake Androff, (202) 234-1224

                            Leigh Habegger, (703) 794-5114

Seafood Harvesters of America Applauds Largest USDA Seafood Purchase

Today, USDA announced its largest seafood purchase to date including products from the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, and North Pacific regions.

WASHINGTON, DC—The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will purchase up to $159.4 million in domestically harvested and produced seafood, fruits, legumes, and nuts for distribution to a variety of food assistance programs. This includes $20 million for Alaska pollock, $25 million for Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic wild-caught shrimp, $4 million for Pacific pink shrimp, $4 million for Pacific rockfish fillets, $9 million for Pacific whiting fillets, and $8.9 million for sockeye salmon.

The Seafood Harvesters of America (SHA) has worked with partners in the seafood industry during the pandemic to advocate for USDA seafood purchases to alleviate the drop in demand.

“We applaud Secretary Vilsack’s commitment to purchasing seafood to distribute through USDA’s food assistance programs. The seafood industry witnessed demand plummet for our products and this purchase will play an important role in helping our fishing businesses and coastal communities recover from the severe impacts of the pandemic.

“We encourage USDA to continue purchasing domestically harvested seafood products so that we can continue to supply nutrient-rich, sustainable seafood protein to our fellow Americans through the USDA food assistance programs. As a global leader in managing our nation’s fisheries, we are proud to harvest sustainable seafood and contribute to the food security of our nation,” said Leigh Habegger, Executive Director for SHA.

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Seafood Harvesters of America (SHA) is the leading national organization of commercial fishermen, representing 19 different fishing associations from Alaska to Hawaii to Florida to Maine.

You can view a PDF of this release here.