Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmospheres, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today applauded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) decision to send $2.7 million to Maine of the $10 million in federal funding to assist New England fisheries which was included in the Omnibus Assistance Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-8). In addition to allocating $1 million to establish a pilot permit banking program for Maine’s groundfishing industry, and $1.7 million to continue the groundline lobster gear exchange program, the spend plan also allocates an additional $4 million for regional groundfish assistance.
"Congress provided this $10 million to mitigate adverse impacts from new, burdensome regulations and catch reduction rules that have threatend the stability and financial well-being of thousands of New England fisherman and their families," said Snowe. "Today’s announcement, coming on top of previous commitments of an additional $13 million in 2009 and $18.6 million in NOAA’s 2010 budget to assist the New England groundfishery’s transition from the current regulatory system, sends a strong signal that the Federal government is committed to sustaining our coastal communities."
The spend plan issued by NOAA in response to a Congressional mandate allocates $3 million to New England fishermen to help develop data reporting and fishery monitoring systems to better document catches and track fishing permit transfers as the fishery prepares for a likely transition to sector management for the 2010 fishing year. It also provides $1 million for cooperative gear research. Maine has been awarded $1 million to establish a pilot permit banking program to buy permits that will help retain access for Maine fishermen. Specifically, the funds will be used to acquire multispecies limited access permits to encourage fishing opportunities throughout the state and prevent additional migration of fishing jobs to ports to the south. Furthermore, NOAA is allocating $1.7 million to assist with the lobster gear exchange program, which will help lobstermen comply with regulations intended to reduce entanglements of endangered whales.