The group hopes to cut off funding for additional catch share programs in the pending NOAA budget.

As reported by the Gloucester Times, there are three additional catch share programs planned for this year.

The Jones letter this year was signed by Massachusetts representative Tierney and Frank, representing the major ports of Gloucester and New Bedford respectively. Joining them were Republicans Jon Runyan, Frank LoBiondo and Chris Smith, of New Jersey, Frank Guinta of New Hampshire, Sandy Adams, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Allen West, Jon Mica, Tom Rooney and Bill Posey of Florida, and Peter King of New York. In addition to Tierney and Frank, other Democrats signing the Jones letter were Joe Courtney of Connecticut, Frank Pallone of New Jersey, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and William Keating of Massachusetts.

Now Two dozen U.S. House members, mostly Republicans from districts along the Gulf of Mexico and the deep South, have signed a "piggy-back" letter by Florida Congressman Steve Southerland II, asking both the Appropriations panel and the Subcommittee on Commerce and Science to expand the scope of the proposed catch share ban from the Atlantic coast to the Gulf coast as well.

Signers of Southerland's letter Tuesday, along with Mica, Adams, West, Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Posey, Runyon and Guinta, were Republicans Tim Griffin of Arkansas, Jeff Duncan, Joe Wilson and Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, Steven Palazzo of Mississippi, John Fleming, Jeff Landry and Rodney Alexander of Louisiana, David Rivera, Ander Crenshaw, Jeff Miller, Vern Buchanan, Gus Bilirakis and Richard Nugent of Florida. Also signing was Mike Ross, an Arkansas Democrat.

Republished with permission from SeafoodNews.com