September 20, 2013 — With New Hampshire fishermen having seen a 78 percent cut in their fishing quotas for Gulf of Maine cod, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) pressed Thursday for answers about what steps the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plans to take to help sustain the state’s fishing industry in the future – especially given the agency’s past refusal to approve interim measures that set catch limits at levels that would allow the industry survive.
At a Commerce Committee hearing Thursday focusing on the nomination of Dr. Kathryn Sullivan to serve as the next NOAA administrator, Ayotte noted that NOAA guidelines stipulate that the agency must take into account the impact of federal catch share limits on fishing communities when it sets quotas – and she emphasized that NOAA needs to do a better job of adhering to its own standard.
“I can’t think of a business that can go with a 78 percent cut on their quotas,” said Ayotte, who earlier this week announced her support of a lawsuit New Hampshire recently joined that challenges both the basis for and the scope of onerous catch limits. “I hope that we can find a resolution that allows our noble fishermen and women to continue fishing in New Hampshire and throughout New England.”
Ayotte highlighted the urgency of the situation by explaining to Dr. Sullivan that the number of active fishing boats in the state has gone from 26 in 2010, to 14 this year, with only four out fishing this past summer.
Read the full story and watch the video from the Hampton-North Hampton Patch