Establishment of Office of Seafood

Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 224B. Office of Seafood (a) Establishment The Secretary shall establish an Office of Seafood to improve coordination within the Department, and with other Federal, State, local, and nongovernmental entities, relating to the domestic harvesting, processing, and consumption of wild and farmed seafood in the United States. (b) Responsibilities The Office of Seafood shall— (1) coordinate seafood policies and activities within the Department and with other Federal agencies, including the Department of Commerce, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative; (2) provide strategic analysis, planning, communication, and coordination of Department and interagency activities for wild and farmed seafood; (3) coordinate efforts to provide economic analysis to advise the Secretary and the Chief Economist regarding the development, availability, promotion, and use of seafood produced in the United States in Department programs and policies; (4) coordinate with the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Economic Research Service to integrate analysis of wild and farmed seafood products into existing analyses of the agricultural exports of the United States, including analysis on the competitiveness of United States wild and farmed seafood producers in global markets; (5) identify opportunities to provide integrated access for United States wild and farmed seafood producers to Department programs; and (6) perform such other functions as may be required by law or prescribed by the Secretary. (c) Outreach The Office of Seafood shall consult with wild and farmed seafood harvesters and producers that may be affected by policies or actions of the Department, as necessary, in carrying out the responsibilities described in subsection (b), which may include providing technical assistance regarding access to applicable Department programs..