Federal rules has cut down the catch of ground fish (cod, haddock, flounder) and that has affected the fishermen of the region, who will get relief aid, nearly $13.4 million to be precise. To distribute a federal fisheries assistance grant to commercial ground fishermen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration approved a state plan. Among the fishermen there will potentially about 250 federal and/or state permit holders on Cape Cod.
It is said that the programme, which will be state run, could provide about $400 to federal permit holders for each day at sea lost due to the restrictions of Framework 42, the government’s most recent management plan. Eric Brazer of Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association, told it is true that the ground fish fishery is caught between a rock and a hard place with restrictions ever tightening and a lack of fish. Brazer also said that the relief isn’t a long-term solution. According to him there is a need for a long-term answer and to rethink how this fishery could be managed for New England.
It is informed that the relief plan will allocate direct subsidies of more than $11.3 million to qualified permit holders in the commonwealth. The state will distribute an additional $1.3 million to fishing crewmembers, including a $633,816 program to pay for health insurance coverage.
