The following opinion piece by Maine Senator Olympia Snowe appeared in the Portland Press Herald on March 25:
WASHINGTON – This is a critical moment for New England's groundfishery. As we assess preliminary data from the 2010 fishing season and look forward to the year ahead, it is hard to believe how far we have come from the crisis situation the industry faced this time last year.
The Days-at-Sea program had plunged our fishing industry into a downward spiral, decimating fish stocks and diminishing prospects at sea from 65 days to as few as 14 in 2010.
Underscoring the industry's deterioration, the 2009 Status of U.S. Fisheries report listed 12 of the 20 species as overfished in New England, with the fewest cod caught in New England in more than 60 years.
As former Rep. Tom Allen stated in his column, "Sustainable fisheries work for New England" (March 20), the Days-at-Sea system devastated opportunities for our fishermen to work and drained a number of key fish species out of the Gulf of Maine's world-class habitat.
As coastal Mainers know all too well, the economic consequences of this federal policy have been devastating for our communities.
Read the complete opinion piece at The Portland Press Herald.