New England Commercial Fisheries to Receive Federal Aid

Today I released the following statement regarding the announcement that the New England commercial fisheries will receive almost $33 million in fisheries disaster relief aid:

                “Our commercial fishing industry is facing a prolonged crisis that threatens its very survival, and these funds represent a critical lifeline for fishing families and ports.  Although the amount is modest in the context of the threat, it does represent recognition by the federal government of its obligation to provide resources in the face of this dilemma.  Now, the funds need to get to the people who need them without delay, without being sacrificed to the costs of overhead and bureaucracy, and without a mistaken belief that they will solve the problems the industry faces.

                Hopefully, with these funds at work to prevent immediate extinction of commercial fishing in Massachusetts and New England, we can use the time they buy to chart a course for better management, and a groundfishery that can survive now and prosper in the days ahead.”