WASHINGTON – Feb. 9, 2011 – Congressman Barney Frank today praised the announcement by the Commerce Department that it has negotiated with Canada substantial increases in yellowtail flounder catch allocations for the 2011 fishing year.
The congresman told Savivg Seafood in an email: "Having criticized Secretary Lock for his previous actions, I am very glad to be able to give him enthusiastic thanks for this announcement. In accordance with the promises made in October, the administration supported the efforts of Senator Snowe and myself to make this important amendment to the Magnuson Act, and they have now used the authority that our legislation gave them in a way that will be very beneficial to the fisherman. There are still issues that I will be pursuing in my meeting with Chief of Staff Daley and my ongoing conversations with the administration, but today it is appropriate to acknowledge that they have responded to our request in a way that will be very positive for fishermen and for the greater New Bedford community of which they are such an important part.
The new limits, which are pending a final approval by the NOAA likely this week will amount to an 18% increase over last years allocation, and a 44% increase in what had been proposed by NOAA for 2011.
This agreement was wholly made possible by legislation introduced by Congressman Barney Frank and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the International Fisheries Clarification Act, which makes it possible for the U.S. Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) to negotiate higher catch limits with its Canadian counterparts.
Prior to the new law, the Canadian government had granted Canadian fishermen catch limits higher than those permitted by the US government to American fishermen. The law makes it possible for appointed representatives of the U.S. fishing industry to negotiate limits that do not put American fishermen at a disadvantage to their Canadian counterparts.
The negotiated limits would represent a significant improvement for both the groundfish and the scallop industries.
The announcement by the Commerce Department today is a result of those negotiations, and is subject to final approval by the Commerce Department. Congressman Frank, who has gone toe-to-toe with Commerce over fish allocations in the past, will be arguing very strenuously for approval of the new limits.