Money to help fishermen affected by decline of groundfish

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said today that $32.8 million infederal disaster relief funding has been allocated to help fishermen in NewEngland impacted by the decline of groundfish in the region.

"Maine fishermen have been hit hard by groundfish closures and drastically reduced quotas," Pingree said. "If this money is spent wisely, it could go a long way toward the survival of Maine's fishing communities. There's a lot of work to be done but I know Maine's fishermen have some creative ideas that could help keep the industry going."

Pingree, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, has been pushing hard to make the funding available. The disaster declaration was made in the fall of 2012, but money had not been appropriated to fund it until last month, when funding was included aspart of a spending bill that Pingree supported.

The funding comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and can be distributed to state governments, non-profit associations and other entities working with the fishing industry.

According to NOAA, disaster funding can be used for activitiesthat “restore the fishery or prevent a similar failure in the future and to assist a fishing community affected by such failure.” In the past, funding has been used for direct payments to fishermen, infrastructure projects, habitat restoration, vessel and permit buybacks and job retraining, as well as other activities.

"I know how hard Congresswoman Pingree and the rest of the Maine Congressional Delegation pushed for this funding and we really appreciate it," said Ben Martens, Executive Director of the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association. "This disaster relief has the potential to provide the Maine fishing industry with a chance to build towards a more productive and sustainable future and we look forward to working with Representative Pingree on the long road ahead."