USDA Announces New Office of Seafood

Maine lobstermen will soon have access to loan, marketing and insurance programs previously available only to farmers and other food producers through the newly created Office of Seafood in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The new office, announced by Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins in late April, officially recognizes fishermen and aquaculture producers as essential food providers.

The new Office of Seafood in the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognizes that fishermen provide food. Photo courtesy of the South Bristol Fishermen's Co-op.

“Maine’s Senators and the Trump Administration have taken note that the seafood industry has been underserved,” said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. “We are still learning about what this means for the Maine lobster industry, but we now have a dedicated office to help fishermen and seafood businesses access USDA programs and other resources they qualify for.”

Creation of the new office signals a shift acknowledging fish as food and fishermen as food producers under USDA definitions in addition to the Commerce Department’s management of fish as a natural resource through the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Fishermen have long been excluded from various USDA loan and tax programs because their harvests were not classified as agricultural products. The extensive support structure provided by the USDA to farmers and ranchers, such as marketing, loans and grants, has not been available to the fishing sector.

“The announcement in December last year of approximately $12 billion in support for U.S. farmers certainly caught the attention of the fishing industry, including the MLA,” McCarron said. “We reached out to the delegation about this gross disparity between farmers and fishermen.” In late March, Senators Collins and King co-sponsored a bill entitled “The America Seafood Competitiveness Act” which would allow fishermen to become eligible for USDA benefits.

Through the new Office of Seafood, Maine’s fishermen will be able to make use of USDA programs that offer insurance, marketing assistance or emergency loans during climate disasters or market crashes. Businesses related to fishing, like gear manufacturers or bait suppliers, will also gain access to the Farm Credit System.

In addition, new tax provisions will help fishermen reinvest in their business. Fishermen can expense equipment, engines, gear or the vessels themselves, if certain conditions are met.

“There has long been a disconnect between how the federal government has supported farmers versus fishermen. This is a strong step forward in providing meaningful federal support for Maine’s lobster fishery,” McCarron said.

For more information,

visit www.usda.gov/seafood