DCO2 fly-in 2.0, with a twist

What a difference a year makes.

Last week I was part of a contingent of fisherfolk, chefs, advocates and educators who went knocking on doors on Capitol Hill seeking support for legislation that would support local fishing communities while voicing opposition to industrial finfish farming. Coordinated by Don’t Cage Our Oceans (DCO2), this gathering over three days was a near mirror image of our trip a year ago in Washington D.C.

But the vibe and overall landscape around Capitol Hill this year was markedly different.

First off, the entire Capitol plaza was fenced off when we arrived. This was in preparation for the joint session address President Trump gave on March 4. I’ve been to Washington a few times, and I’ve never seen such a show of force. There must have been nearly 1,000 Capitol Hill police, Secret Service agents and police officers from other counties spread out around Capitol Hill throughout the day, all heavily armed.

Perhaps that’s why there was a tension in the air that wasn’t nearly as palpable last year. Perhaps the unease stemmed from the rapidly changing legislative landscape shaped in part by drastic cuts to federal agencies and programs like the National Oceanic