NOAA Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued a document describing how they are spending Federal dollars in support of catch shares. The text follows:
NOAA Fisheries Service strongly supports sector management. To assist with the change to what will be a new management system for many, we are providing financial support, training and technical assistance to the fishing industry. Here are some of our efforts to date:
– Financed the preparation of each sector’s National Environmental Policy Act documents through 2011. ($1.0m)
– Fully funded sector costs for dockside monitoring in 2010. ($1.2m)
-Provided funding for sector start up and operating costs. ($720k)
– Supported cooperative research focusing on conservation engineering in 2009 and 2010. ($12.0m)
– Funded at-sea monitoring for sectors and observer coverage for the entire multispecies fishery. ($12.7m)
– Funded electronic monitoring pilot project to test and define video and sensor data collection methodologies for sector fisheries. ($920k)
Additional funds will be allocated to support sectors, but we are finalizing details as to exactly how funds will be spent. For more information on multispecies sector management please visit our website:
http://www.nero.noaa.gov/sfd/sfdmultisector.html