WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, released the following statement today after speaking with Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), about sweeping reforms to NOAA’s enforcement program. Senator Snowe has questioned Administrator Lubchenco repeatedly about the enforcement program, which was highly criticized by a 2010 investigation by the Department of Commerce’s Inspector General. Today, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced $649,527 in fisheries enforcement penalties will be returned to 11 individuals or businesses following an independent review by the Special Master examining specific enforcement cases. This review was initiated following a report by the Office of the Inspector General that found the NOAA enforcement program had in some instances “overstepped the bounds of propriety and fairness.”
“For centuries, fishermen have been the backbone of our coastal communities, and the Inspector General’s findings of bias against them by some enforcement personnel within NOAA in the northeast region were appalling,” said Senator Snowe. “I welcome the acknowledgement of the Department of Commerce that we need a new enforcement system that is effective, but not punitive.”
The reforms come on the heels of a 2010 investigation by the Inspector General that probed 27 specific cases—26 of which occurred in the northeast region—in which fishermen alleged misconduct by investigators and agents. In his report, the Inspector General confirmed the fishermen’s accounts in 9 of those cases and determined that 13 others were inconclusive.
In addition to returning penalties, Secretary Locke and Administrator Lubchenco announced a series of actions to be taken, including more appropriately balancing the number of enforcement offices and special agents. In a budget hearing regarding NOAA’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget last month, Senator Snowe had specifically urged Administrator Lubchenco to reduce the number of criminal enforcement personnel to better reflect the fact that 98 percent of the caseload was noncriminal.
“Today’s announcement is indicative of the Agency’s acknowledgement that systemic abuses required substantial change to ensure this scenario is never again repeated. It is certainly a step in the right direction which I intend to monitor closely from my vantage point as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, to ensure our regulators develop a culture of trust as we rebuild our fish resource and our coastal economies.”