The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is providing another $10 million dollars to help New England's groundfishermen transition to so-called sector management, as Massachusetts fishermen tell NOAA's head that the system has put them in "panic mode."
Maine fishermen are getting more federal help to transition to a controversial new groundfish managment system known as "sector management."
Maine's two senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, say the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, will provide another $10 million in federal funding to help New England fishermen make the transition to the new system, which goes into effect May 1.
For most groundfishermen, sector management will replace the "days at sea" plan, which sharply limited the number of days fishermen could spend out on the water harvesting. Under sector management, groups of fishermen are awarded a quota of fish that they can divvy up among themselves.
Read the complete story at The Maine Public Broadcasting Network.