Washington

April 2, 2013 — The Government Accountability Office has agreed to study the accuracy of fishing counts in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic to help resolve a long-standing dispute between environmentalists and the fishing industry.

Congress' investigative arm has decided to act on a request from a bipartisan group of senators and will review how the federal government calculates fishing stocks in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic.

"The first thing we do for any job is to determine the scope and methodology," said Charles Young, a spokesman for the Government Accountability Office. "Until that is determined, we won't have a projected completion date."

Fishing stocks, which are used to determine catch limits, have long been a source of contention between the fishing industry and environmental groups.

Environmental advocates say over-fishing of such species as red snapper and gag grouper could affect marine habitats and coastal communities for decades.

Read the full story at USA Today

 

 

April 2, 2013 — When Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, announced in 2012 that she would not seek re-election, she cited strident partisanship as the main reason to end her 33-year career. Judy Woodruff talks with Snowe more about what prompted her retirement and how she's working to resolve the bitter divide in American politics.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The past few years have seen more gridlock in Washington and politics nationally than at any other time in memory. From the fights over health care reform and the debt limit to the so-called fiscal cliff, the two parties have seemed like separate armed camps.

Is it possible for lawmakers to bridge the partisan divide?

We put that question to former Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine. She's now a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center and she's co-chair of the group's Commission on Political Reform, charged with making the system work better.

Sen. Snowe, thank you for joining us.

You were — as I added it up, you were in politics for, what, three or four decades.

Why would you take on this task after you have retired?

FORMER SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE, R-Maine: Well, you know, it's interesting.

I have often said, you know, at my age, you face enough drastic change. You're not seeking more. But I decided if I was going to continue in the political arena, perhaps I should contribute in a different way, given the polarization that's occurred, and most exponentially over the last few years. It has truly gotten worse.

You could see the slow, steady erosion of what was happening and evolving. But it had clearly gotten worse to the point that we're no longer solving problems and most especially the big problems facing this country. So, I thought I could add my voice on the outside to encourage people to demand bipartisanship, to understand the value of bipartisanship and consensus-building in the political arena.

What is the purpose of public service? It's to solve problems for the people you represent and certainly in the United States Senate, thinking about your state and thinking about your country as well.

View the full interview at the PBS Newshour

 

 

DARTMOUTH, Mass. — April 2, 2013 — Barney Frank represented the South Coast of Massachusetts for more than 30 years, and he left his mark.

And now he's leaving his collected papers.

At a ceremony Tuesday at UMass-Dartmouth, the Claire Carney Library accepted the responsibility of curating his archives.

History professor Mark Santow said it was appropriate.

"It says something about the man I think that he gave his papers to a public institution like this, rather than to Harvard," Santow said.

Frank, 73, was first elected to Congress in 1980, after eight years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

He was thrown into elections in Fall River and New Bedford after redistricting changed the boundaries of his district in 1982. And he won himself support by fighting for the fishing industry, and affordable housing. He never lost an election.

Read the full story and watch the video at WJAR

 

 

April 1, 2013 — During a visit to Eureka Tuesday, March 26 congressman Jared Huffman announced plans to introduce legislation aimed at alleviating the financial hardship of a federal loan that has been weighing on Pacific Coast groundfish fishermen for just under a decade.

Huffman’s Revitalizing the Economy of Fisheries in the Pacific Act picks up where a bipartisan bill introduced in Sept. 2012 by former North Coast congressmen Mike Thompson left off and would allow for the refinancing of a $35.7 million buyback loan authorized by Congress in 2003.

The opportunity to refinance the loan at a lower interest rate would give local groundfish fishermen the same opportunities as any homeowner or business, Huffman said during a news conference to announce the bill held outside the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center last Tuesday afternoon. The bipartisan bill would not require the federal government to spend any new money.

”It is becoming increasingly difficult for them (fishermen) – especially small businesses – to repay that debt, plus new fees – higher fuel costs, higher health care costs – and to remain in business,” he said. “Like any of us, they would like to refinance. They would like to take advantage of these historically low interest rates that we have today, but they need an act of Congress to do that.”

A 2003 act of Congress authorized the buyback loan, which Huffman’s bill aims to change, as part of a push to address overfishing and help rebuild depleted groundfish fishery stocks along the West Coast. Under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishing Capacity Reduction Program, funds were dispersed to fishermen who agreed to surrender fishing privileges for cash payments. In total, 91 vessels and 239 fishing permits were removed from the fishery. The remaining fishermen were tasked with the burden of repaying the buyback loan debt, with interest, at a five percent ex-vessel value – the value before processing – of all fish harvested.

However, for the first 18 months of the loan period – as interest accrued – no mechanism existed for payments to be made on the loan. By the time the first payment could be made, fishermen were facing more than $4 million in interest.

Pete Leipzig, executive director of the Eureka-based Fisherman’s Marketing Association, said while implementing the program was a good action at the time – “the people that remained in business enjoyed the benefit of having the same amount of fish, just fewer of the folks fishing for them.” He said failing to create a system to allow fishermen to make payments on the loan for so many months resulted in a financial hardship that hasn’t diminished over the years.

”We owe more money today than we borrowed because of this,” Leipzig said, “and so, moving forward with a refinance – taking advantage of the lower interest rates – is finally going to put us in a position to hopefully begin to make some headway.”

Having the ability to refinance is not only necessary to sustain local fishing communities but also helps support the local coastal economy, Huffman said.

Read the full story from the Redwood Times

April 2, 2013 — A month before the fishing culture of the Northeast — running from Maine to New York but based here in Gloucester and New Bedford — faces severe constraints or immobilization by extreme limits on landings, the Obama White House Monday remained mute and continued to distance himself from the federally recognized “economic disaster” wrought in large part by the president’s own administration as efforts to provide relief go nowhere fast.

Most Massachusetts Democrats in Congress tick off letters written and legislation filed to relieve the crisis.

But most have blamed House Republicans for blocking a $150 million disaster relief package that was hurriedly glued to a $60 billion Hurricane Sandy relief appropriation in the lame duck session last year.

At the same time, most Democrats refuse to acknowledge that Obama has never said a word about the need to help the fishermen who found themselves integrated — mostly against their will — into an industry re-engineered as a catch share and quota commodity market that has forced smaller independent boats to bow out of the business.

One exception has been Congressman John Tierney, whose 6th District includes Gloucester and all of Cape Ann.

“The administration has not been responsive enough to the plight of the families and businesses impacted by conditions in the fishing industry in the Northeast, and in Gloucester particularly,” Tierney said Monday in a prepared statement. “I have repeatedly pressed this matter and will continue to do so at every opportunity.

“While it is appreciated that the White House and the Department of Commerce did, at our request, issue the emergency declaration,” he added, “much more needs to be done, and we continue to seek a stronger involvement from the administration as we pursue strategies to resolve the critical issues facing our fishing community.”

For his part, Obama has continued to distance himself from the policies and their architect, the celebrated scientist Jane Lubchenco, who quietly stepped down as NOAA administrator at the end of February. The White House press office did not respond to a request for any statement issued evaluating or commemorating Lubchenco’s four years at NOAA on the president’s nomination.

Obama failed to acknowledge the disaster, propose or advocate for relief from the most extreme threat to the survival of the nation’s oldest industry.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

 

March 28, 2013 — Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Suffolk County joined Senator Charles E. Schumer and others last week in Washington D.C. to testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard during a hearing, “Developments and Opportunities in U.S. Fisheries Management.”

Senator Schumer testified that New York’s commercial and recreational fishermen have to deal with unfair recreational and commercial catch limits, putting the local fishing industry at a disadvantage compared to other states. Senator Schumer wants changes made to the Manguson-Stevens Act, the 1976 law that governs U.S. fisheries management.

CCE’s Marine Program Director Emeritus Emerson Hasbrouck testified in support of Schumer’s proposal which would offer flexibility into the rules which he says punish local anglers. Mr. Hasbrouck provided information on how the establishment of state-by-state quota allocation puts New York fisherman at significant disadvantage.

Read the full story at The Sag Harbor Express

March 28, 2013 — Earlier this month, after the fall out taking place after conservation group Oceana’s latest seafood mislabeling report, Representative Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and five other Representatives introduced a bill in Congress to protect consumers, fishermen, and the public’s right to know (what they’re eating).

According to the Oceana report, one third of all seafood samples from across the nation were mislabeled. A government report from 2009 estimates that only 2% of seafood imported into the U.S. is inspected and only 0.001% is inspected for fraud. Rep. Markey, whose bill is available as a PDF here, takes issue with these data.

“Fish fraud is a national problem that needs a national solution. This bill finally tells the seafood swindlers and fish fraudsters that we will protect America’s fishermen and consumers from Massachusetts to Alaska”… “From tackle to table, this bill makes the entire seafood supply chain more transparent and trustworthy.” – Rep. Markey Press Release (3/6/13)

Originally introduced to Congress as the SAFE Seafood Act, this new iteration of the bill, the Safety and Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act of 2013 (H.R. 1012) aims to close the door on fraudulent practices “that cheat fishermen and consumers, while posing health risks to pregnant mothers and others” (see, Press Statement).

Read the full story posted by Village Fishmonger at National Geographic

 

 

 

BOSTON — March 23, 2013 — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., stepped into the fray to bring relief to Northeast fishermen, introducing her first Senate amendment in the form of a disaster assistance fund for fishermen.

"The fishing industry is an important part of our region's economy," Warren said Friday, "and I'm proud to introduce my first Senate amendment to help make sure these hard-working fishing families have access to the critical disaster assistance they deserve."

In September, the U.S. commerce secretary declared a disaster in the Northeast Groundfish Fishery, on the grounds that several key fish stocks, including cod, are not rebuilding.

The declaration makes it possible to appropriate money to help downtrodden fishermen. But Democratic efforts to attach $150 million in aid to the Hurricane Sandy relief bill were eviscerated by congressional Republicans, leaving the disaster without aid.

Attached to the Senate budget, Warren's amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide disaster assistance for commercial fishery failures.

A Warren aide said the Senate has already agreed to $150 million for fisheries relief, an amount that could finance the fund.

The amendment is co-sponsored by Warren's Massachusetts colleague, Sen. William Cowan, along with six other Northeastern coastal state senators.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times

 

 

March 23, 2013 — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren Friday announced filing what she called a “deficit neutral” budget amendment that would provide disaster assistance to the Northeast groundfishery, declared a disaster in September, but without any financial support to address it.

The amendment marked the initial legislative action by the new Democratic senator from Massachusetts. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, which also had a fishery, for Chinook salmon, declared a disaster, filed a similar amendment.

Both authorize the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee to revise allocations in one or more bills to create the funding for the disaster relief so long as the changes do not add to the nation’s deficit.

The step is the latest venture by federal lawmakers to help address the economic disaster that has hit fishing communities such as Gloucester, with more dire cuts in fishing quotas from NOAA due to take effect May 1.

On Feb. 4, Congressman John Tierney, whose district includes Cape Ann, announced a different approach to securing the disaster aid; his proposal would tap the seafood import tariff dollars, which had been originally reserved for research and marketing of American seafood under the 1954 Saltonstall-Kennedy Act, but have, over the decades since, been diverted into the budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

 

March 21, 2013 — The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee held the first hearing on MSA reauthorization March 13. That meeting was chaired in part by Rep. Don Young, and brought together a variety of stakeholders to discuss current issues in federal fisheries.

While the action so far is on the east coast, Alaska’s Congressional delegation said that providing opportunity for Alaskans to participate will be crucial.

“Over the next few months I expect there will be a number of oversight hearings in the House Natural Resources Committee related to the Magnuson Stevens Act reauthorization.  In addition, once a bill is drafted it will be publicly available for comment. Alaskans are also encouraged to email our office with any suggestions, as the Congressman is always interested to hear their ideas and concerns,” Young’s office wrote in a statement emailed to the Journal.

Sen. Mark Begich, who chairs the Senate’s Committee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, told the Journal earlier this year that he would ensure there were opportunities for Alaskans to weigh in on the process.

His staff reiterated that in a statement emailed to the Journal March 18.

“Alaskans will be able to submit written comments. There will be a series of public hearings around the country, including Alaska, sometime in the future,” his office wrote.

But as for the specifics of what might get wrapped up in the reauthorization is still up in the air.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce