Press Releases

Yesterday, Reps. Bill Keating (MA-09) and Chellie Pingree (ME-01) engaged in a discussion with Rep. John Culberson (TX-07), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, on the House floor.  They talked about the importance of addressing the challenges facing the Northeast multispecies fishery sector management program with respect to observer coverage. 

This discussion originated from an amendment by Rep. Keating and joined by Reps. Pingree and Moulton (MA-06) in order to secure commitments from both Democratic and Republican appropriators to work toward providing NOAA with the flexibility to delay the transfer of funding for observer coverage to the industry. 
 
Rep. Moulton further addressed this issue in a letter to appropriators this spring.  The letter, which was bipartisan, had 17 cosigners, including Reps. Keating and Pingree.
 
Said Reps. Keating, Pingree, and Moulton:

"New England fishermen – from New Bedford to the South Shore, and Cape Cod, from Gloucester and the North Shore to Portland – are willing and engaged partners in supporting the use of on-vessel observers. They are still reeling, however, from the collapse of groundfish stocks. Now is not the time to transfer the burden of observer costs to the fishermen. This is a long process, but we aren't going to give up and will continue to work with our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, the Agency, and our fishermen to find a short-term solution. We also strongly support the use of cost-effective technologies – such as electronic monitoring – and are committed to providing the resources needed to develop and advance this technology."