The Northeast Seafood Coalition has issued an open letter thanking Members of Congress for their urgent request for emergency action addressing what the Coalition has considered a "fundamental flaw" they have repeatedly raised with NOAA regarding the setting of Annual Catch Limits (ACLs).
The text of the letter follows:
April 23, 2010
The Northeast Seafood Coalition expresses its deep appreciation to the House and Senate authors of this crucial letter and for the opportunity to work with them in crafting an urgent request for emergency action that would significantly improve the conditions for our fishery and sectors to succeed in the coming fishing year.
The letter speaks directly and, obviously, with much greater authority to a fundamental flaw we have repeatedly raised with NOAA regarding the setting of Annual Catch Limits (ACLs).
The ACLs for a number of stocks were set too far below the overfishing limits to sustain our fishery and the sector system.
For it to have any chance of functioning properly, the sector system depends on sufficient ACLs for all stocks.
Otherwise, the consequence will be the premature closure of the fishery leaving massive quantities of optimum yield on strong, fully-rebuilt stocks unharvested. The future financial viability of the groundfish industry and dependent communities depend upon these yields.
This is unsustainable, unacceptable and, both legally and biologically, unnecessary.
NSC is the sponsor of 12 new sectors slated to begin operation on May 1st that collectively account for over half of the active members and allocations in the groundfish fishery.
Thus, we especially appreciate that our leaders in Congress obviously recognize, as we have, the stark reality that in one week our fishermen and sectors will be operating.
Notwithstanding all of the many concerns being raised with the specifics of the sector system and catch share policy generally, we have a very dead-serious responsibility to focus on ways to make that reality function as well as possible.
So again, on behalf of all our many fishermen, we are immensely grateful to our friends and leaders in Congress for championing this critical request. The Administration has the clear statutory authority to correct this flaw and so we look forward to the Administration to immediately address this looming crisis.
Jackie Odell
Executive Director