March 21, 2014 — The City Council is expected to weigh in on the disbursement of the $75 million in federal disaster relief funds Tuesday when it takes up a resolution introduced by Councilor-at-Large Paul Lundberg.
Lundberg’s resolution, co-sponsored by Councilor-at-Large Sefatia Romeo Theken, urges the state to focus its allocation of the funds on fishermen and fishing businesses and not to “activities that could be funded by other sources.”
“Our fishing industry really is a collection of small businesses, including water-borne and shore-side businesses,” Lundberg said Thursday. “This resolution expresses the support of the City Council that these funds go to these businesses directly impacted by the reduction in the allowable catch limits.”
Congress appropriated the $75 million in fisheries disaster funding in January to help fishermen and fishing communities such as Gloucester, helping them recover from the economic disaster generated by the collapse of the groundfish fishing industry.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times