February 24, 2014 — NOAA officials say that the federal fisheries agency will once again cover the cost of the mandated onboard fishing monitors who have been a part of many fishermen’s traveling parties out of Gloucester and other Northeast ports since 2010.
The announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service came at the recommendation of the New England Fishery Management Council, and after a renewed push by a Massachusetts’ congressional delegation.
It also comes as the fishery council prepares to hold its monthly meetings Tuesday and Wednesday in Danvers, where the policy panel will discuss a potential reopening of closed areas and a number of other issues.
NOAA’s announcement Friday confirmed that the agency will cover the cost of fishery observers and at-sea monitors for groundfish vessels operating within the Northeast sectors.
NOAA regulations mandate that observers be present on a percentage of groundfish vessels to verify that fishermen’s catch — including discarded bycatch — is accurately recorded and that fishermen operate within their allocated quotas. NOAA officials say the agency’s goal is to have observer coverage on 26 percent of groundfish trips in the coming fishing year, which begins May 1.
Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times