On Monday, October 3, Senator Kerry held a Commerce Committee field hearing in Boston on the state of the Massachusetts fishing industry. The hearing examined the first year of the catch share fisheries management plan, including its social and economic impacts, and discussed constructive steps forward to improve its outcomes for our state’s fishermen.
As a senior member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which oversees fisheries management, Senator Kerry brought together the people who work in the fishing industry with the federal regulators who affect their livelihoods. Jane Lubchenco, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), heard from our state’s fishermen firsthand about the challenges they face every day.
Before the hearing, Senator Kerry said: “One of the most important things I can do as our state’s senior senator is bring together all the stakeholders from our state and the federal government to reason together and talk face to face, and particularly to put a human face on the choices being made for our economy and our fisheries. This hearing will examine current the state of Massachusetts’ fishing industry, analyze the impacts of regulations on our local economy, and perhaps most importantly, provide an open forum for dialogue between our state’s fishermen and state and federal regulators. The panels we’ve assembled will allow for direct questioning and analysis from the Administration as well as both seasoned and fresh voices from Massachusetts’ fishing and science communities.”
Complete Witness List (with links to their testimony):
Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Stephen P. Welch, Fisherman and Board Member, Northeast Seafood Coalition
Paul Diodati, Director, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
Colin McAllister “Rip” Cunningham, Jr., Chair, New England Fisheries Management Council
In addition to Senator Kerry, the following elected officials participated in the hearing:
Senator Scott Brown
Senator Mark Begich
Congressman Barney Frank
Congressman John Tierney
Congressman Stephen Lynch
Congressman William Keating
Senate President Therese Murray
State Senator Bruce Tarr
State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante
New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang
Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk