This new fishing policy is aimed at putting “a significant fraction” of the fishing captains in the northeast groundfishing fleet out of work is on track. NNOAA chief Jane Lubchenco was in Gloucester as a witness for the first of two congressional field hearings on federal fisheries law enforcement failings identified by U.S. Commerce Department Inspector General Todd Zinser.
According to Lubchenco various form of aid are recommended. But her comments also made clear that the transition to “catch shares,” a system of negotiable allocations of the annual total amount of fish to be taken from the ocean, slated to begin May 1 in New England will proceed as planned. Lubchenco’s office announced an additional $10 million in aid to “preserve fishing opportunities.”
Together with earlier financial commitments, Eric Schwaab, the assistant administrator for NOAA fisheries, said NOAA has invested $47.2 million in the groundfish industry’s transition to sectors. David Goethel, a commercial fisherman from New Hampshire who serves as a member of the New England Fishery Management Council, said that NOAA is trying to buy everyone off. Provisions in the Magnuson-Stevens Act require all overfished stocks to be rebuilt at the same time — by 2014.
The “catch share” term comes from the Environmental Defense Fund, and is used regularly by Lubchenco, who was vice chairwoman of the EDF board before her selection by President Obama to head NOAA. At the meeting with fishermen, Lubchenco was asked by Capt. Orlando to define a “catch share.”
