January 17, 2014 — The overdue and expected arrival of some $75 million in federal aid for the Northeast groundfishery and others recognized as “economic disasters” should provide welcome relief for fishermen and related businesses that have been pushed to a collective brink of bankruptcy.
But for all the well-deserved kudos extended to federal lawmakers who stood by this needed aid package — which gained U.S. Senate approval Thursday night — it’s important that all involved recognize the fact that this is a very short-term fix.
For, without regulatory reforms to the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the process by which NOAA can set yearly, stock-by-stock catch limits, many of the fishermen who are due this disaster aid now will be forced right back to the table seeking more federal assistance next year and/or the years that follow.
Read the full opinion piece at the Gloucester Daily Times