Groundfishing Industry to Receive More Than $32 Million in Disaster Assistance

Groundfishing Industry to Receive More Than $32 Million in Disaster Assistance
Federal officials also agree to Senator Collins’ request to grant waiver to match requirement

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins today announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will award $32.8 million in federal funding for the mitigation of the 2013 New England Multispecies Groundfish Fishery disaster that was declared by the Secretary of Commerce. This funding will help aid struggling ground fishermen in the Northeast, including Maine. In addition, the Secretary of Commerce will waive the 25-percent non-federal match requirement as requested by Senator Collins and Senator Angus King in a letter sent earlier this month.

“Fishing is a way of life in Maine and New England and, for too long, our fishermen, their families, and their communities, have struggled with onerous federal regulations and other burdensome costs,” said Senator Collins, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I was pleased to have secured Fisheries Disaster Assistance in the federal funding bill approved by Congress in January which can be used to provide both immediate economic relief to our region’s struggling groundfishing industry, and to make targeted investments that will allow the fleet to survive and become more sustainable in the years ahead. I also applaud the decision to waive the non-federal matching requirement which would have placed an unnecessary burden on our state and local economies.”

In September 2012, the U.S. Commerce Department declared a disaster in the Northeast groundfishing industry. This declaration opened the door for Congress to appropriate funding to help alleviate the financial hardship caused by dwindling fish stock. In January, with Senator Collins’ support, Congress approved the Fiscal Year 2014 federal funding bill that appropriated $75 million for the mitigation of fishery disasters.

Earlier this month, Senators Collins and King, along with ten colleagues from other Northeastern states, sent a letter to the Secretary of Commerce urging her to exercise her authority to waive the 25-percent state match requirement for this declared disaster. The full text of the Senators’ letter to Penny Pritzker is as follows:

February 19, 2014

The Honorable Penny Pritzker

Secretary

U.S. Department of Commerce

1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230

Dear Secretary Pritzker:

Congress appropriated $75 million for Fisheries Disaster Assistance in the Fiscal Year 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. This funding is intended to mitigate the effects of declared commercial fishery failures and resource disasters, including the declared disaster for the Northeast Multispecies Groundfish Fishery. The fishing economies of our states continue to experience tremendous financial strain. We therefore urge you to exercise the waiver authority granted to you under Section 315 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) (16 U.S.C. 1802) and waive the match requirement for this declared disaster.

On September 13, 2012, a federal fisheries disaster was declared for Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York pursuant to Section 312(a) of the MSA and Section 308(b) of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (IJF). Despite strict adherence to new rigorous regulations by fishermen, key fish stocks have not rebounded, according to NOAA’s calculations. The resulting reductions in total allowable catch for certain critical groundfish stocks are having a significant and on-going impact on coastal communities, fishing families, and local economies. The Fisheries Disaster Assistance is critical to helping the industry recover from these dramatic losses. Our state governments continue to stretch very limited resources, and waiving the state match requirement is crucial to assisting our state and local economies in their efforts to support the fishing industry.

The Secretary’s waiver authority is clearly expressed in the MSA. Section 315(b)(4) of the Act grants the Secretary the authority to waive the matching requirements for disasters declared under Section 312 of the MSA and Section 308 of the IJF, as well as “any other provision of law under which the Federal share of the cost of any activity is limited to less than 100 percent.” Moreover, Section 315(c) allows the Secretary to determine any MSA Section 312 and IJF Section 308 commercial fishery failure to be a “catastrophic regional fishery disaster,” and further eligible for the state match waiver. Since the Northeast Groundfish Fishery Disaster was declared under MSA Section 312 and IJF Section 308, we urge you to waive the matching requirement for Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.

Fishing is an integral part of our states’ economy and heritage. While we are pleased that the fiscal year 2014 Federal Disaster Assistance will provide some relief to the fishing communities in the northeast, we are concerned that requiring a 25 percent match could severely limit the effectiveness of the program. We again ask that you exercise the waiver authority granted to you in the law, and look forward to your prompt reply.