NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — July 17, 2014 — Getting federal disaster relief into the hands of those in the Northeast fishing industry is shaping up to be equal parts complexity and peril, if Wednesday's public hearing is any indication.
Getting federal disaster relief into the hands of those in the Northeast fishing industry is shaping up to be equal parts complexity and peril, if Wednesday's public hearing is any indication.
Mass. Marine Fisheries Director Paul Diodati led the often contentious discussion, with virtually every aspect of the relief effort drawing tough questions and having cracks exposed.
Former Mayor Scott Lang, who criticized NOAA for setting up a slow process, said the aid plan is becoming "a Christmas tree, trying to do too much with too little for too many people."
Diodati said the first final approvals of the aid grant process should come in the fall.
About 50 people attended the meeting at the Waypoint Event Center on the waterfront to consider the ways the money will be distributed.
Congress appropriated $75 million to aid in what was called the "self-imposed" economic disaster in various fisheries. New England (along with New York), was tapped for $32.8 million. Massachusetts has been assigned $14.5 million out of the $22 million earmarked so far. (The last $11 million is being reserved for a possible boat buyback program, which in itself came under heavy criticism for being unfair and misguided.)
Federal fishing permit holders who landed more than 5,000 pounds in any of the years 2009-2013 will be getting lump sum payments of about $32,500, according to the agreement so far among the states and federal government.
But some permit holders have multiple permits and will get multiple payments, while others will get nothing.
Hugh Dunn, district representative for U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Massachusetts, read a statement on Keating's behalf that was sharply critical of the government's plans so far.
"Only 100 or so permit holders of the approximately 700 federal groundfish permit holders in Massachusetts would receive direct federal assistance," Keating wrote.
"The plan also neglects the crew members and supporting shoreside industries who continue to struggle to stay financially solvent as a result of the groundfish disaster."
"A plan that is based upon an arbitrary landing benchmark which prevents many of my district's permit holders from accessing this funding is not what I had in mind when working with my colleagues to obtain this appropriation," he said.
About $8 million of the disaster aid will be discretionary at the state level. But during the 90-minute meeting it became clear that getting help into the hands of crew members and shore support workers had the highest priority.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times