The following information was obtained from Sen. Kerry's office.
The hearing will be broken into two panels. NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco will testify on one panel. The other panel will include fishermen and state fishery leaders and experts.
The aim of the hearing is to examine the first year of the catch share fisheries management plan, including its social and economic impacts, and discuss constructive steps forward to improve its outcomes.
Senator Kerry will invite Senator Brown and the Massachusetts delegation, Mayors Lang and Kirk, and a host of other state and local leaders.
Additional background on the hearing:
More than a year after the implementation of Amendment 16 and its catch share fishery management plan, Senator Kerry will chair a hearing to explore the progress that has been made, the struggles that continue to plague the industry and the improvements that must be made to ensure a sustainable, profitable and well-managed ground fishery in New England. Pursuant to National Standard 8, assessing the performance of the catch share system requires an analysis of the social and economic impacts of the new management plan.
The Senator’s hearing will attempt to uncover the costs; including the government costs of subsidizing monitoring, both the at sea and on land job costs and the leasing costs associated with the program. It will seek to identify sectors and communities that have been adversely impacted during the first year of catch share management. Where such areas do exist, the hearing will explore programs, aid and scientific methods that may be employed to ameliorate these impacts.
With these goals in mind and utilizing the recommendations presented in the recently released Touchstone Consulting Review of the New England Fishery Management Process, the hearing will examine ways that NOAA, NMFS, the Science Center and the Regional Council can work to improve communications and relations with stakeholders, thereby strengthening overall fisheries management.