SBA National Ombudsman Lawfare & Regulatory Hearing - Portland, ME

This hearing is geared toward fisherman, elver harvesters/exporters, shellfish & seaweed farmers, & members of the boatyard & marine trades
About this Event

The SBA’s Office of the National Ombudsman empowers small entities by addressing concerns of uneven and excessive federal regulatory enforcement. Joining the Ombudsman at this Lawfare and Regulatory Reform Hearing in Portland, ME will be the SBA’s Office of Advocacy and a variety of other federal partners to hear from small business owners, primarily members of the primarily members of the fishing and marine trades including lobster and ground fisherman, elver harvesters and exporters, shellfish and seaweed farmers, boatyards and marine trade people.

The session is part of a nationwide initiative to amplify the voices of small businesses in rural communities and revise the regulatory landscape. We value your input and collaboration in crafting meaningful solutions to regulatory challenges facing this industry. We will discuss specific regulatory hurdles, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and market access difficulties.

As an industry crucial to the nation's food supply chain, we understand your businesses are forced to navigate an intricate network of federal, state, and local regulations. The interactive hearing - listening session is designed to gather input directly from you about specific hurdles you face, including whale gear rules, the ropeless-gear solicitation and the 2028 statutory deadline with no rule behind it. CITES port clearance and elver shipments with no designated wildlife port in Maine, the lapsed finfish nationwide permit and unissued aquaculture general permit, vessel inspection user fees charged per hull, contract administration and delayed payment, and the sawmill marketing standard now before OSHA.

Our goal is to understand the pain points and the economic impact regulations have on your operations, and we welcome you to attend to share your candid, real-world experiences with SBA leadership as well as our other Federal partners in attendance.