U.S. Officially Signs “Agreements on Reciprocal Trade” with El Salvador, Guatemala
On January 29 and 30, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that the U.S. had officially signed “Agreements on Reciprocal Trade” with El Salvador and Guatemala – with formal implementation of the included tariff revisions to take place within the next few weeks.
Certain textiles, apparel, and other products from both countries that qualify for preferential treatment under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) will be exempt from IEEPA reciprocal tariffs – as will specified agricultural and industrial goods. All other products from El Salvador and Guatemala will face a baseline 10% reciprocal tariff.
Additional information on the U.S.-El Salvador deal can be found here, and additional information on the U.S.-Guatemala deal can be found here.
Updates from January Gulf Council Meeting
The Gulf Council met last week in New Orleans to discuss important policy updates for recreational anglers in the region. The Council took final action on Reef Fish Amendment 62, which considers increasing red grouper catch limits and eliminating the recreational shallow-water grouper closed season.
For red grouper, the Council decided to phase in total annual catch limit increases over a three-year period. The Council also decided to eliminate the February 1 – March 31 recreational shallow-water grouper closure beyond 20-fathoms.
ASA Joins Coalition in Asking SC Senate to Reduce Boat Property Taxes, Expand Access
Last week, nine organizations from the recreational fishing and boating community sent a letter to the South Carolina Senate asking the body to advance H.3858, which would reduce the property taxes charged on boats in the Palmetto State. Currently, the state’s tax on boats registered in SC is 300% higher than neighboring states like Georgia and North Carolina.
Reducing this burden will not only make boat ownership more attainable, but also strengthen the local businesses, jobs, and conservation efforts tied to a healthy recreational boating and fishing economy.
Last year was a rollercoaster for southeast fisheries issues, to say the least. We started out the year facing a proposed rule that would have established widespread vessel speed restrictions in the Atlantic for half the year for many recreational vessels. In mid-January, NOAA Fisheries thankfully announced the withdrawal of this harmful rulemaking, but they rolled out another doozy for the recreational fishing industry – a proposed Secretarial Amendment that would have closed federal waters off northeast Florida to all bottomfishing for 55 species, including red snapper for three months of the year.
