Senators criticize fishing oversight
Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy lashed out last week at a federal fishing administration charged with dispersing $13.4 million in funding that the senators obtained for emergency relief for Massachusetts fishermen.
At issue is a Feb. 8 letter written by John Oliver, acting assistant administrator for fisheries for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the organization that oversees fishing regulations. In his letter to Paul Diodati, director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Oliver recommended that just half of the $13.4 million go toward fishermen's subsidies. Oliver also recommended that 40 to 60 percent of the funds be used to buy back some of the 700 federal groundfish permits held by Massachusetts fishermen.
"Capacity reduction, such as buyouts, is at the core of transitioning to a more stable fishing environment," Oliver wrote.
In e-mails to the Globe, Kerry and Kennedy reiterated that the funds should go to help the ailing fishermen.
"These funds should be distributed based on the needs of our fishermen, not on the dictates of NOAA bureaucrats," Kerry said. "Our fishing families are hurting, and the last thing they need is a bureaucratic mess of federal dictates and interagency squabbles. The fishermen of Massachusetts need help and they need it now."
Added Kennedy, "There's no question that our fishing industry needs immediate relief, and this federal funding is intended to do just that. I look forward to working with the fishing industry and our state officials to ensure that the funds are used to help those who were hurt by Framework 42."
Framework 42 is the latest in a series of federal government regulations designed to build up depleted fishing stocks. The regulation, which took effect in November 2006, cut days at sea for Massachusetts fishermen who catch haddock, flounder, and other groundfish. A decade ago, fishermen could fish almost 100 days out of the year, but under Framework 42, they're down to 24 days a year at sea.
The $13.4 million grant was approved after a failed attempt by Governor Deval Patrick to obtain funds from Washington. Last year, Patrick asked US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez to declare a "fishery resource disaster" in the state's groundfish industry, citing that the industry had been hit with $22 million in losses due to new fishing regulations.
After Gutierrez denied the request, Kerry and Kennedy obtained the $13.4 million federal appropriation.
NOAA spokeswoman Maggie Mooney-Seus said Oliver's letter was not a final recommendation on how to use the money. "It was strictly to provide guidance to the state and things that they could consider," said Mooney.
Robert Keough, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said that the state's Division of Marine Fisheries is creating a funding application that will be submitted to NOAA by April 15. During the next month, the division will hold three public hearings to solicit input on the application. Keough said NOAA has the final say on the grant's parameters.
When asked about Oliver's letter, Keough said the state is committed to having a portion of the grant go for fishermen's subsidies.
"The state's position is that we would like to see the majority of the funds go to emergency economic relief for the fishermen; and just what form that relief will take will depend on what we hear from the fishing industry and the coastal communities that have been affected by these regulations," he said.
Last year, when the $13.4 million aid package was announced, some fishermen rejoiced. But, as word of the letter spread from boat to boat in this storied fishing port last week, some fishermen, like Joe Orlando, were furious.
"It's a slap in the face to fishermen that the federal government should tell me let's give them half of the money," said Orlando, who has fished for 30 years, and can no longer afford to pay for insurance on his boat or for his crew. "I never wanted a handout, never. I've always been a hard worker and a survivor, but right now I need help. We need money to fix our boats; our boats are falling apart. "
Jackie Odell, executive director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, also said she believes the funds should go to subsidies.
"I don't care what NOAA says in that letter and how they feel that money should be intended to be used. The money was appropriated to be direct relief to fishermen," she said.
Keough said that if NOAA approves the state's application, the funding could be disbursed as early as this summer.
