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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 6
February 2008
MA gets $13.395 million in groundfish aid
WASHINGTON, DC – Working through the appropriations process, the Massachusetts congressional delegation has managed to secure $13.395 million in federal assistance for Bay State groundfish fishermen.
US Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry and US Reps. John Tierney, Barney Frank, and Bill Delahunt, all Democrats, made the announcement just before Christmas following the approval by Congress of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
In a joint press release, the congressmen said the $13.395 million disaster assistance appropriation would provide “a lifeline” for thousands of Massachusetts fishermen hurt by years of ever-mounting restrictions and recent skyrocketing fuel prices.
Said Frank, “It’s only fair that fishermen receive some financial compensation from the federal government because their economic losses were caused by unduly rigid federal policies.”
Added Kennedy, “Massachusetts fishermen have been under extraordinary stress because of the drastically limited days-at-sea permitted under the regulations of Framework 42. These federal funds are well-deserved and will bring desperately needed relief.”
Economic disaster
The aid money is specifically directed to the commonwealth of Massachusetts and is separate from the request for a disaster declaration made to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) by the governors of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
US senators from all four states convinced the Senate to unanimously support that request late last year, but NMFS denied it, saying there was no resource disaster because groundfish stocks were recovering (see CFN January 2008). At stake was up to $30 million in disaster aid to the region.
During the Jan. 17 meeting of the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Commission, Massachusetts Fishery Recovery Commission Executive Director Vito Calomo said that the Massachusetts money resulted from a request for assistance from the industry to the state’s congressional delegation.
He added that the request had the support of Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) Director Paul Diodati, Gov. Duval Patrick, state Sen. Bruce Tarr, and state Rep. Tony Verga, and was championed in Congress by Ted Kennedy.
Calomo, who also is chairman of the commission, made it clear that the request for these funds was distinct from the request to NMFS for a disaster declaration.
“This was never based on a fishery resource disaster. It was to address the economic disaster brought on by differential days-at-sea counting and higher fuel, dockage, and other costs,” he said.
Distribution
Now it’s up to state officials to determine how to fairly disperse the money. During the Jan. 17 commission meeting, Diodati warned that the process likely would take awhile.
“People are calling us asking where to sign up,” he said. “There is no place to sign up yet.”
Diodati explained that, although the funds were clearly provided for in the appropriations bill, they were being funneled through NMFS. And that means the state has to file a grant application with NMFS to get the money.
Mary Griffin, the commissioner of the state Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, which is the parent agency of DMF, said discussions were underway about a range of aid dispersal options, including buyouts.
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