Describing it as "a critical moment for action," Sen. John F. Kerry on Wednesday dispatched a strongly worded letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco, seeking regulatory and financial relief, including a disaster declaration for Massachusetts fishermen.
Under a federal regulatory system that is consolidating the fleet, many small boat owners are struggling to preserve their traditional livelihoods, according to Kerry. Tensions between federal regulators and the fishing community have reached "a boiling point," he wrote. "Many fishermen are trying to survive by drawing on personal income or extended credit, shifting more fishing costs to crew or reducing crew size or postponing vessel maintenance," his letter stated, while noting that 50 percent of those holding fishing permits fell below the break-even point in 2010.
Kerry urged several measures to reduce fishermen's costs, including federal payments for the on-board observers, which are mandated by NOAA and would cost boat owners as much as $675 per day.
In an immediate response, NOAA issued a press release late Wednesday agreeing to fund the observer program through April 2013 while also announcing it would contract with an independent group to conduct a review of its management reforms.
Read the complete story from The South Coast Today.