Northeast Fisheries Science Center Director Bill Karp made the announcement during a meeting with the commercial fishing industry and others at the Maine Fishermen's Forum in Rockland, Maine.
WASHINGTON — March 1, 2013 – The announcement below was made today by Northeast Fisheries Science Center Director Bill Karp during a meeting with the commercial fishing industry and others at the Maine Fishermen's Forum in Rockland, Maine. Congressman Bill Keating who represents the port of New Bedford, Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and Congressman John Tierney who represents the port of Gloucester and Cape Anne responded.
Dr. Karp's statement:
We know the cost of at-sea monitoring remains a serious concern for the groundfish industry given the condition of stocks and commensurate low quotas for next fishing year. We recognize this will be an exceptionally difficult year for fishermen so we are working on a plan to cover as much of these costs as possible at NOAA. While this is our intent, we cannot definitively commit to this because of the high degree of uncertainty due to the potential effects of sequestration and the lack of a FY13 budget.
We are projecting that if effort goes down next year, NOAA will be able to fund at-sea monitoring in the groundfishery. If effort remains the same, NOAA will fund at-sea monitoring but can only do this by using funds currently slated for research to develop electronic monitoring in the Northeast. This funding choice may delay this important effort.
We understand that fishermen need to be able to plan for how much of the monitoring costs they are expected to pay next year. That is why we are communicating our intentions at this time despite the significant budget uncertainty the agency currently faces. Sequestration or other major changes which might be enacted in the FY13 budget could significantly reduce our ability to cover all of these monitoring costs.
This will not apply to certain exemptions requested by sectors that require 100 percent at-sea monitoring coverage. NOAA is working to ensure that there is a way for fishing operations to obtain and pay for required monitoring this coming fishing year, as well as in the future as monitoring costs are transitioned to the industry.
Congressman Tierney's response:
"Now is certainly not the time for our fishermen to absorb the financial burden of paying for at-sea monitoring, so NOAA's announcement that it intends to cover these costs is welcomed and positive. Moving forward, I will certainly stay on top of this issue and ensure NOAA follows through. At the same time, I remain committed to pressing for immediate disaster aid and stronger leaders at Commerce and NOAA who will ensure a fairer system for our fishermen."
Congressman Keating's response:
"I welcome NOAA's announcement to cover as much at-sea monitoring costs as possible in 2013 despite severe financial uncertainty due to the impending consequences of sequestration. I remain concerned, however, that the ability of the Agency to fully cover these costs may jeopardize other priorities, such as supplemental research in New England. If there is anything we have learned from the past year, it is that we cannot allow politicking to stand in the way of supporting the lifeline of Massachusetts' marine economy. I will continue to fight to restore and preserve funding for the Agency and the priorities that will keep New England's fishing industry competitive."