WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee responsible for funding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced today that NOAA expects to fully cover observer and at-sea monitoring costs for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic ground fishermen during Fishing Year 2014.
At the request of Senator Collins, the Fiscal Year 2014 federal funding bill passed into law in January included an appropriation of $43 million to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for Observers and Training operations, and it also included legislative report language authored by Senator Collins that directed the National Marine Fisheries Service to cover at-sea and dockside monitoring costs for the groundfish industry.
"Having these costs covered is critical to sustaining Maine's fishing industry and our fishing communities as they continue to recover from the declared disaster for the Northeast Groundfish Fishery," said Senator Collins. "As fishermen and their families struggle with strict regulations and other burdensome costs in this difficult fishing economy, this assistance is welcome news."
Maggie Raymond, Executive Director of Associated Fisheries of Maine, responded to the good news: "Senator Collins understands that Maine's groundfish industry cannot absorb these costs, and we are grateful that she took the lead on assuring that the funds were included in the National Marine Fisheries Service budget."