Each week on WBSM in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Bob Vanasse of Saving Seafood joins host Phil Paleologos to discuss issues related to the fisheries with news-making guests.
WASHINGTON — June 30, 2011 — Before speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate this morning, Senator Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) joined Phil and Bob on the WBSM/Saving Seafood radio hour to announce his intention to introduce the Asset Forfeiture Responsibility Act of 2011. This announcement comes in the wake of last week's Boston field hearing of the Federal Financial Management subcommittee. The hearing addressed the question "How Is NOAA Managing Funds to Protect the Domestic Fishing Industry?". Senator Brown is the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, which is chaired by Senator Tom Carper of Delaware.
According to Senator Brown, under his bill, the fund "will be kept at the treasury department for the benefit of regional counsels and NOAA, and he fund will be audited for the next few years. The fishing investment fund will direct moneys from those fishermen who break the rules towards assisting fishermen with the ever-growing cost of regulatory compliance and to reimburse the legal fees incurred by fishermen whose fines were actually remitted by the recommendation of the special master."
The bill:
— Directs money collected from fishermen toward assisting them with the ever growing costs of compliance, such as at-sea observers and shore side monitoring.
— Addresses the unfunded mandates currently affecting the private fishing industry.
— Keeps monies that have been collected in a particular region in that same region.
— Ensures that funds can only be used for legitimate enforcement activity.
— Specifically prohibits funds from being used to buy leisure items.
— Allows fishing councils the flexibility to use funds to support and sustain the fishery.
— Authorizes Secretary of Commerce to reimburse lawyer fees for those who have been hit hard by NOAA enforcement and have been identified in the Special Master Smartwood report.
[listen to this latest episode at Saving Seafood Radio]
[listen to Senator Brown's speech on the Senate floor]