Federal officials announced more funding today to help New England fishermen move toward a new system for limiting catches, winning praise from lawmakers and fishery groups.
In a speech in Boston, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Jane Lubchenco announced an additional $18.6 million to assist fishermen meet the federal requirements by the end of next year, on top of $16.7 million from its 2009 budget, according to the offices of Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy.
The proposed new "catch share" system allows groups of fishermen to divide allocated catches amongst themselves, instead of the current system that tries to stop overfishing by limiting the time fishermen are allowed at sea.