USDA buoys seafood industry across the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon

KLCC | By Brian Bull

Published July 27, 2022 at 5:04 PM PDT

Oregon’s seafood industry just got a boost from the USDA.

The federal agency has OK’ed a $52-million purchase of Pacific Northwest seafood products.

In a joint announcement, Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden said this will help an industry hit hard by the pandemic and climate change.

Wyden added that seafood generates jobs and builds stronger economies for towns all along the Oregon coast. Last fall, he and Merkely secured nearly $17 million in seafood purchases, and have urged the USDA to keep supporting West Coast processors.

The $52 million will be distributed among three main seafood products, namely pacific pink shrimp, pacific rockfish, and pacific whiting.

Economy & Business

Brian Bull

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016. In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional), the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.

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