Higgins, Fields team up on protection for crawfishermen

U.S. Reps. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, and Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, introduced H.R. 4800, the Fisheries Modernization Act, which would expand fishery disaster relief programs to include wild-caught crawfish.
As a commercial fishery, the wild-caught crawfish industry does not qualify for disaster relief programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wild-caught crawfishermen are also not currently eligible for fishery disaster assistance under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
The bill would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to include the red swamp crawfish and white river crawfish as eligible fisheries. The change would allow the secretary of commerce to declare a fishery disaster for these species following natural or man-made disasters.
“Our bill would add crawfish species in the Atchafalaya Basin to the Magnuson-Stevens Act to ensure those fisheries are eligible in future disasters. This is an important step to bring parity across the entire industry," Higgins said.