RFA welcomes Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
The Recreational Fishing Alliance is congratulating Wilbur Ross on his approval this week as Secretary of Commerce by a 72-27 vote in the U.S. Senate.
The Department of Commerce oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the two federal agencies that hold primary authority to implement and enforce federal fisheries laws such as the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Secretary of Commerce also makes appointments to the regional fishery management councils. The recreational fishing industry expects that policies put forward by Secretary Ross will have profound impacts on recreational fishermen and the marine industry, the RFA said.
“We congratulate Secretary Ross and look forward to an administration at NOAA that is committed to protecting American jobs as well as our marine resources,” said Nick Cicero, sales manager for Folsom Corporation and member of the RFA board of directors.
The RFA said in a statement that it believes Ross’s business background “will bring a positive tone to the DOC thereby spurring growth in our sector.”
“A great place to start draining some of that swamp is down in Maryland at Silver Spring,” said RFA executive director Jim Donofrio, referencing the headquarters of NOAA Fisheries. “The ideological appointments of our last president, flooding NOAA Fisheries for eight years with anti-fishing policies, were bad for fishing and shows the need for a major housecleaning operation this spring.”
