Page 10. MAINE COASTAL NEWS January 2011 Commercial Fishing News


Snowe Hails Final Passage of Bill to Enhance Groundfish Management WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olym-


pia J. Snowe, Ranking Member of the Sub- committee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisher- ies, and Coast Guard, has advanced a bill through the U.S. Senate to enhance manage- ment of New England’s historic groundfish industry. The International Fisheries Clarifi- cation Act, introduced by Senator Snowe in December of 2009, will allow regulators to manage fish stocks shared by U.S. and Cana- dian fishermen in a more sustainable fashion. The measure, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent, also included the Shark Conservation Act of 2009, a bill cosponsored by Senator Snowe that would boost global shark conservation efforts.


“For too long, our fishery managers have been placed at a competitive disadvan- tage in negotiating catch limits with their Canadian counterparts because of an errone- ous interpretation of the law. My legislation, which passed the Senate today, will resolve this problem and level the playing field for U.S. negotiators, and ultimately for the hard- working members of the New England groundfish industry. I urge my colleagues in the House to follow suit and swiftly pass this bill before the end of this Congressional session to ensure that the U.S.-Canada Transboundary Resource Sharing Under- standing is treated as an international agree- ment as the law intends, thereby giving our managers the ability to account for the effects of fishing that takes place beyond our exclu-


sive economic zone,” said Senator Snowe. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, which provides legislative underpinning for nearly all U.S. fishery management measures, per- mits fisheries managed under “international agreements” to have rebuilding periods that extend beyond the 10-year timeline that do- mestic stocks are subject to. However, the U.S. Department of State has stated the bilat- eral “understanding” between the U.S. and Canada fails to meet the criteria to be consid- ered an “international agreement.” This rul- ing has hindered U.S. negotiations with Canada, as the 10-year timeline does not exist in Canadian law. Although Canada manages its stocks to maintain a rebuilding trajectory, their catch limits often far exceed those in the United States.


Senator Snowe also applauded passage of S. 850, the Shark Conservation Act. “The loss of 73 million sharks each year to the global fin trade has a profound effect on the health and sustainability of our marine eco- system. Ending this cruel and wasteful prac- tice in U.S. waters is a critical step in incentivizing other fishing nations to do the same.”


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U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, applauded House passage of legislation to enhance management of New England’s his- toric groundfish industry, which followed its


KUSTOM STEEL


approval by Unanimous Consent in the Sen- ate yesterday. The bill will now go to Presi- dent Obama for enactment into law. The Inter- national Fisheries Clarification Act, intro- duced by Senator Snowe in December of 2009, will allow regulators to manage fish stocks shared by U.S. and Canadian fisher- men in a more sustainable fashion. The mea- sure also included the Shark Conservation Act of 2009, a bill cosponsored by Senator Snowe that would boost global shark conser- vation efforts.


“For too long, our fishery managers have been placed at a competitive disadvan- tage in negotiating catch limits with their Canadian counterparts because of an errone- ous interpretation of the law,” said Senator Snowe. “I am grateful for the efforts to facili- tate passage of this legislation to level the playing field for U.S. negotiators and ulti- mately for the hard-working members of the New England groundfish industry.” The Magnuson-Stevens Act, which provides legislative underpinning for nearly


all U.S. fishery management measures, per- mits fisheries managed under “international agreements” to have rebuilding periods that extend beyond the 10-year timeline that do- mestic stocks are subject to. However, the U.S. Department of State has stated the bilat- eral “understanding” between the U.S. and Canada fails to meet the criteria to be consid- ered an “international agreement.” This rul- ing has hindered U.S. negotiations with Canada, as the 10-year timeline does not exist in Canadian law. Although Canada manages its stocks to maintain a rebuilding trajectory, their catch limits often far exceed those in the United States.


Senator Snowe also lauded passage of S. 850, the Shark Conservation Act. “The loss of 73 million sharks each year to the global fin trade has a profound effect on the health and sustainability of our marine ecosystem. End- ing this cruel and wasteful practice in U.S. waters is a critical step in incentivizing other fishing nations to do the same.”


Senator Snowe Announces Disaster Declaration for Maine Shellfish Beds


WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today declared a fisheries disaster following the red tide bloom of 2009 that closed 97 percent of Maine’s shellfish beds. In a phone call with the U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke this week, Senator Snowe urged the Secretary to respond to Governor Baldacci’s request for a disaster declaration, which was supported by the state’s entire Congressional delegation 14 months ago on October 19, 2009.


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“As I told Secretary Locke on Monday, this declaration is a long overdue first step toward providing relief for the estimated 3,000 shell fishermen and dealers who participate in this vital $50 million industry. By any estimation, 2009 was the worst year in recent memory for Maine’s shellfish industry due to the most virulent red tide bloom Maine has experienced since the early 1980’s. The fact of the matter is these closures, which affected 69 percent of our


state’s coastal communities, far surpassed the closures in 2005 and 2008 that affected 40 percent of Maine’s coastal towns, for which the Department of Commerce declared a disaster and allocated emergency funds,” said Senator Snowe. “While I am dismayed at the amount of time that has passed since our request was submitted, today’s announcement by the Secretary paves the way for Congress to allocate relief funding and ultimately help defray the economic hardship that resulted from these devastating closures that occurred during difficult economic times. I pledge to work with my colleagues to ensure that, as in years past, those affected by this disaster benefit from emergency relief funding.” A copy of the Maine Delegation letter sent to Secretary Locke on October 19, 2009 is as follows:


October 19, 2009


The Honorable Gary Locke, Secretary Department Of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue Washington, DC 20230


Dear Secretary Locke:


Last spring and summer, the shellfish industry in Maine experienced a severe economic crisis as a result of the closure of 97% of the states shellfish beds and 100% of the offshore beds in federal waters. These closures due to extensive rainfall in a subsequent, severe outbreak of a harmful algael bloom known as red tide have impacted the shellfish industry and coastal economy far more drastically than similar events occurring in 2005 and 2008. In those years, Maine received disaster declarations and Federal financial assistance for red tide related fisheries failures. On October 5, 2009, Maine’s Governor John E. Baldacci formally requested assistance for the main shellfish industry under section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. We strongly support the governor’s request for assistance to this industry so vital to the State of Maine. The fisheries failure of this past spring and summer was not a product of overharvesting, overly restrictive regulatory measures, or other management actions. Rather, it was due to the over abundance of the naturally occurring toxin Alexandrium, exacerbated by the wettest


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