Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) issued the following release regarding the May 12 meeting with Commerce Secretary Locke.
Calls on Commerce Secretary Lock to Increase Groundfishery’s 2010 Annual Catch Limits in Meeting with New England Congressional Delegation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of her ongoing effort to preserve the nation’s first fishery, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmospheres, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today joined members of the New England congressional delegation in a meeting with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to discuss the future of the New England groundfishery. Specifically, the lawmakers urged Secretary Locke, along with Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of NOAA, and Eric Schwaab, Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), to exercise the Secretarial authority under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and implement emergency regulations to increase the 2010 annual catch limits (ACL) for certain fish stocks in the groundfishery.
“For too long, NMFS has turned a blind eye to New England’s coastal economy, ignoring its mandate to balance ending overfishing and minimizing adverse economic impacts on fishing communities. Today, we ensured that the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of NOAA, and the head of NMFS heard loud and clear the anger of New England fishermen,” said Senator Snowe. “Our message was unmistakable: increase catch limits on the ‘choke stocks’ that are otherwise sure to close down this fishery. Yet, I find it patently unacceptable that despite NMFS’s scientists own admissions that their data was insufficient to make policy recommendations for some stocks, beyond a previously announced commitment to revisit the catch limit for pollock, we did not receive any assurances that other choke stocks would be addressed. Fishermen deserve more than lip-service when their livelihoods are at stake.”
Earlier this month, the groundfishery began operating under a management structure known as “sectors” and are now being forced to adhere to catch limits for some species that have been reduced by as much as 75 percent from 2009 levels. Senator Snowe has long cited concerns regarding the program, which will ultimately lead to a premature closure of the fishery and an economic disaster for coastal communities. Section 305(c) of the Magnuson Stevens Act as last amended in 2006 gives the Secretary of Commerce the authority to promulgate emergency interim measures if he finds that an emergency exists.
“While we hope the transition to sector management will ultimately prove successful in the effort to rebuild fish stocks and sustain the economic and biological viability of the fishery, the fact is with the current restrictions NOAA has imposed, there is no way the system will be able to function as it has been designed,” said Senator Snowe. “Clearly, this is an emergency that could cause the collapse of this industry.”
Although NOAA has committed to improving the management enforcement and legal operations within the fishing community, Senator Snowe said it was imperative to find mutually acceptable solutions to the problems plaguing the groundfishermen. Senator Snowe went on to further highlight the ongoing problem involving catch limits, which are routinely set dramatically below the overfishing limit. The Senator said catch limits for a few of the nineteen fish stocks covered by the groundfish management plan are simply too low to allow fishermen to go after enough of the healthy stocks. The limit for pollock in 2010 is just one quarter of what it was in 2009, and the Gulf of Maine winter flounder limit is less than two-fifths last year’s cap.
“We agree that we must keep these fish stocks on a rebuilding trajectory—we must not allow overfishing,” said Senator Snowe. “What we must do is increase catch limits within the uncertainty buffer between the current catch limit and the overfishing level, ensure those limits are adhered to, and give this industry a chance to survive the transition to this new management system. While Secretary Locke did agree to help us advocate for financial assistance for the fishery, I am well aware that the best thing for our communities is jobs, not handouts, and I will continue to insist that the Administration exercise every option available under the law to save America’s first fishery.”
