Washington

In what is being hailed as a bipartisan effort to right a decades-old wrong, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., have joined with colleagues to push a bill that is expected to give the fishing industry in the U.S. a solid push into the future.

The Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act, or FIRRA as it's known, would ensure that a significant portion of the money collected from tariffs on imported fish or fish products is cycled back into the American fishing industry, in accordance with the 1954 Saltonstall-Kennedy Act.

The 1954 legislation, sponsored by Democratic Sen. John F. Kennedy and Republican Sen. Leverett Saltonstall, both of Massachusetts, called for 30 percent of tariffs on imported fish to be used for research and development of the domestic fishing industry. But as imports have climbed along with revenue, Congress has typically allocated a majority of the money to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has came under fire for questionable spending in the past.

Read the complete story from Mass Live.

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is questioning NOAA's decision to spend $150,000 in "scarce fisheries research" funding to hold a "sweepstakes" under the guise of studying fishing economics.

"The Massachusetts fishing industry is on the brink of collapse due to federal mismanagement," Brown wrote to NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco. "NOAA's own data prove that this economic and jobs disaster has rapidly accelerated since the current administration's implementation of the 'catch shares' system.

"At this time of peril for our commercial fishermen," he said, "I question whether it is responsible to divert resources into a social science experiment about recreational fishing licenses."

Brown noted in his letter, sent on Friday, that the news of the $150,000 sweepstakes comes on the heels of details about abuses by agents of NOAA's $300,000 "luxury party boat" and reinforces the public's perception that NOAA is an agency with the wrong fiscal priorities.

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.

 

 

 

 

 

BOSTON – 12 March 2012 – Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, along with Congressmen William Keating and Michael Capuano, announced that the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will receive a total of $3,107,388 from the U.S. Department of Commerce that will be used for their individual Sea Grant programs.

The Sea Grant program supports research, education, and extension projects that encourage environmental stewardship, long-term economic development, and responsible use of the nation’s coastal and ocean resources throughout Massachusetts.

“This investment boosts cutting edge research and innovation to protect our coastal waters and surrounding environments,” said Sen. Kerry.

“I’m glad that Woods Hole and MIT received these grants to continue their very important research and education projects focused on keeping our oceans clean and protected,” said Sen. Brown

“If there is one vehicle that will help put our economy back on track, it is investments in science and education. In today’s age of economic uncertainty and budget constraints, it seems that even the most common-sense of priorities are not safe from the chopping block. I applaud the Commerce Department for maintaining these priorities and providing WHOI and MIT with this well-deserved funding,” said Rep. Keating.

Read the complete story from PoliticalNews.me

 

 

 

 

 

US Senator John F. Kerry will introduce a fisheries investment bill Friday that would provide millions of dollars to Massachusetts fisheries to conduct research and assessments.

“We can’t fix our fishing problems if we don’t restore trust, and you start rebuilding trust by investing in fishing science that’s credible and comprehensive and comes from the fishing community itself,’’ Kerry said.

The Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act, a bill sponsored by Kerry and US Senator Olympia Snowe, Republican of Maine, seeks to ensure that a portion of the money earned from duties on imported fish products is used in a grant program for fishing science and development.

Read the complete story from The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON — 9 March 2012 – As New England fishermen await an interim measure regarding catch limits for the Gulf of Maine cod fishery, three senators from the region used a Wednesday hearing to take aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the issue.

A recent assessment of Gulf of Maine cod raised the ire of fishermen and others living in coastal communities, as it revealed the fishery to be in crisis — a major reversal from a 2008 assessment that had painted a rosy picture of the fishery's health.

"The struggle we're having right now over the cod assessment underscores the need for better scientific resources our fishermen can trust," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said during a hearing of the Senate Commerce subcommittee with jurisdiction over fisheries. "The difference between the last two assessments was night and day."

Addressing NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Kerry — a member of the subcommittee — added, "The uncertainty is a direct result of the infrequency of assessments, and it underscores the urgency of finally getting appropriate investments in increased research and data collection."

Read the complete story from The Cape Cod Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 March 2012 – Legislation to restore import duties on seafood to fisheries research — money that, over the years has been diverted into NOAA operations — has been filed by U.S. Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Olympia Snowe of Maine.

Companion legislation to the Senate bill filed Thursday is to be filed on March 19 when the House returns to session, according to the office of Congressman Barney Frank whose district includes New Bedford. Congressman John Tierney, whose district includes Cape Ann, is a co-sponsor.

The intent, as expressed Thursday by Kerry, is to realign the 1954 Saltonstall-Kennedy Act to its original purpose.

In 2010, duties on imports were $376.6 million, yielding $113 million that the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act ostensibly meant for fisheries R&D. Instead, Congress appropriated $104.6 million for NOAA operations, leaving only $8.4 million for actual fisheries' uses.

The Kerry-Snowe Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act would require that at least 70 percent of the set-aside money be used for the original purpose — developing the domestic fisheries, which are recognized as among the best managed and most productive.

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON — 8 March 2012 – As fishermen in New England anxiously await an interim measure regarding catch limits for the Gulf of Maine cod fishery, three senators from the region used a Wednesday hearing to take aim at chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the issue.

A recent assessment of Gulf of Maine cod raised the ire of fishermen and others living in coastal communities, as it presented the fishery to be in crisis — a major reversal from a 2008 assessment that had painted a rosy picture of the fishery's health.

“The struggle we're having right now over the cod assessment underscores the need for better scientific resources our fishermen can trust,” Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., declared during a hearing of the Senate Commerce subcommittee with jurisdiction over fisheries. “The difference between the last two assessments was night and day.”

Read the complete story from Seacoast Online.

 

 

 

 

 

March 09, 2012 – Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, will introduce a bill today designed to provide millions of dollars in federal funds to help the commercial fishing industry.

The Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act could funnel more than $100 million annually into improving scientific research and fish stock assessments nationwide.

The money would come from an existing source: the customs duties raised from fish products imported to the U.S. Legislation passed in 1954, known as the Kennedy-Saltonstall Act, directs that 30 percent of all duty paid on fish imports be transferred to the Secretary of Commerce and set aside for fisheries research and other projects.

In practice, that has not been happening, according to Kerry's office, which said that duties collected on imported fish products in 2010 totaled $376.6 million. Of that amount, $113 million went to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But only $8.4 million was used for fisheries research and development. The remaining $104.6 million was swallowed by NOAA's operational budget.

 Read the complete story in the Standard-Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 March 2012 – Sen. John Kerry is urging National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco to deliver better scientific research to help the Massachusetts groundfish industry.

In the wake of testimony by Lubchenco at a Commerce Committee hearing in Washington on Wednesday, Kerry, D-Mass., asked regulators to collaborate with fishermen and research institutions to improve stock assessments and find workable solutions to fishery problems, particularly on difficult issues such as the catch limit for Gulf of Maine cod.

Read the complete story from The Standard-Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON – 7 MAR 2012 – According to documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act request by the Gloucester Daily Times, the chief judge of the court system for NOAA Fisheries appears to have pleaded unsuccessfully with special investigator Charles B. Swartwood III last November to retract his written finding of "at least the appearance" of a judicial conflict of interest in the case against a fisherman.

Congressmen Barney Frank, John Tierney, and Bill Keating have asked the Inspectors General of Commerce and Homeland Security to look into the Judge's meeting with Special Master.

The text of the letter follows:

Dear Inspector General Zinser and Acting Inspector General Edwards:

We are writing to express concern over a document that was recently obtained by a media source from the Commerce Department via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.  This document summarizes a meeting that occurred between the Coast Guard’s chief administrative law judge who oversaw the court system for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and Department of Commerce Special Investigator Charles B. Swartwood III.  We have attached this document for your review, and ask that you thoroughly evaluate it, including determining how this meeting came to take place, who authorized it, and conducting any warranted follow-up actions.

As you aware, there has been a high degree of mistrust between the NOAA fisheries, the U.S. Coast Guard Administrative Law Judge system, and the New England fishing industry. The Department of Commerce announced last year it would no longer utilize the Coast Guard administrative law judges (ALJs), and will refer new law enforcement cases to ALJs from the Environmental Protection Agency.  While new cases are being assigned to the  EPA ALJs, the Coast Guard ALJs are still adjudicating cases that were assigned prior to the Department of Commerce’s agreement with the EPA.  The Federal government’s ability to successfully manage fisheries requires the active involvement and cooperation of the industry.  Any appearance of judicial conflict would damage an already fragile relationship between the government and fisherman.

Therefore, we request that you carefully review the attached document.  Thank you for your attention on this critical matter, and we look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
BARNEY FRANK                       
JOHN TIERNEY                       
BILL KEATING

 

Read the letter as sent.