Chef urges lawmakers to support sustainable fishing to prevent devastation of oceans

Phoenix-based chef Danielle Leoni said on Wednesday that she and other chefs from across the U.S. advocated for the Magnuson–Stevens Act in Congress in an effort to promote responsible fishing. 

“Sustainable seafood is of the utmost importance to us, so we penned this letter to Congress asking them to support the Magnuson–Stevens Act, to keep it strong, to really support science-based management of our U.S. fisheries,” Leoni, a member of the advocacy organization Chefs for Fish, told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on “Rising.”

Chefs from the organization arrived on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.),  chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing water, oceans, and wildlife.

“We just want to make sure that the fish we’re taking out of the sea is harvested in a responsible way, meaning we’re not taking too much out,” Leoni continued. 

“We don’t want to deplete fish stocks. We want to make sure that we’re fishing in such a way that it’s not devastating our oceans, so we just want to be really careful and responsible and just, take the right amount so we can continue to eat delicious, amazing fish for decades,” she said. 

The bill, also known as the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, promotes responsible fishing along U.S. coastlines. 

— Julia Manchester