Today, in response to a request from Governor Rick Scott on October 23, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that a commercial fishery failure occurred in Florida as a result of Hurricane Michael, which struck the panhandle with devastating force on October 10. “The Department of Commerce stands ready to support communities across Florida in their hour of need,” said Secretary of Commerce...

Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that commercial fishery failures occurred between 2015 and 2017 for salmon fisheries in Washington, Oregon, and California, in addition to the sardine fishery in California. “The Department of Commerce and NOAA stand ready to assist fishing towns and cities along the West Coast as they recover,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “After years...

Statement from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross As Secretary of Commerce, today I directed the National Marine Fisheries Service to facilitate access to the water needed to fight the ongoing wildfires affecting the State of California. One of the fires, the Mendocino Complex Fire, has developed into the largest in the state’s history, consuming nearly 300,000 acres in Northern California...

Today, in response to the request put forward by the Governor of Texas on February 14, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross determined a commercial fishery failure due to a fishery resource disaster that occurred in Texas due to impacts from Hurricane Harvey that made landfall on August 25, 2017. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 included $200 million for fishery disasters declared by the Secretary...

To support efforts to protect fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued awards totaling of $16.7 million from NOAA's RESTORE Act Science Program. This year, the awardees’ proposed projects support research into bluefin tuna, blue crabs, Mississippi oyster farmers and other parts of...