Federal fisheries regulators declared Thursday that New England’s struggling groundfishing fleet is facing a “commercial fishing failure,” opening the door for emergency funding to support the industry as it braces for additional cuts to already-reduced quotas.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the disaster declaration was merited because stocks of groundfish – and especially cod – are not recovering despite fishermen's compliance with strict catch limits. Maine Gov. Paul LePage and his counterparts from throughout New England had requested the disaster declaration last year as a way to help the region’s groundfishing fleet survive additional reductions in the amount of cod and other species they can land.
Rebecca Blank, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, said congressional funding authorized by the declaration could "mitigate some of the economic consequences of the reduced stocks and help build a sustainable fishery.”
“The future challenges facing the men and women in this industry and the shore-based businesses that support them are daunting, and we want to do everything we can to help them through these difficult times,” Blank said in a statement.
Cod fishing was once the economic backbone of much of New England, including Maine. But overfishing and other factors have depleted cod stocks, resulting in austere catch limits on the relatively few groundfish boats still operating.
Click here to read the full story from The Portland Press Herald >
