A congressional hearing in Boston today to examine the impact of new regulations on Massachusetts ground fishermen comes at a critical time for the industry, when reports show a decline in the number of fishermen and a larger portion of the annual catch being hauled in by a small concentration of boats.
U.S. Sen. John Kerry will be joined on a panel by his Republican counterpart Scott Brown, along with Democratic Reps. Barney Frank, John Tierney, Stephen Lynch and William Keating, all Massachusetts members of Congress. Panelists will question fishermen, regulators and Jane Lubchenco, chief administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Fishery scientists Brian J. Rothschild and Steve Cadrin from UMass Dartmouth's School for Marine Science and Technology will also testify, along with the chairman of the New England Fisheries Management Council.
"There are things that can be done right now to start alleviating the hardships our fisherman are facing," Kerry wrote in an email to The Standard-Times. "That's what the hearing on Monday is all about. It's about seeing what we can do now to start bridging the gap between good intentions and real changes our fisherman can see in their paychecks and at the docks."
The hearing comes as fishery management in New England is in trouble, and Lubchenco feels increasing pressure to do something about it.
An independent review, commissioned by NOAA and released last April, concluded that the entire regulatory process is "beset with problems and in need of urgent reform."
Allowing boats to carry more of their unused quota over to the next fishing year was an immediate change they recommended. Currently that is limited to 10 percent, even on such stocks as haddock, which are at historically high levels.
Reducing the costs of onboard observers was singled out as the key issue, however. Observer coverage is now being funded by the federal government. When the 2012 fishing year begins on May 1, payment becomes the boat owner's responsibility. With costs as high as $675 per day for an observer, some fishermen could be forced out of business. Observers in catch share programs in other parts of the country typically cost around $365 per day, the senators noted.
Even conservation groups, such as the Environmental Defense Fund, which has clashed with the industry in the past, have expressed public support for these measures.