BOSTON — The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday declared a national fishery disaster in New England, opening the door for tens of millions of dollars in relief funds for struggling fishermen and their ports.
Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank said the declaration comes amid “unexpectedly slow rebuilding of stocks,” which is forcing huge fishing cuts for 2013 that are jeopardizing the New England industry. Blank said her agency also determined the troubles with fish stocks have come even though fishermen are following rules designed to prevent overfishing.
“The future challenges facing the men and women in this industry and the shore-based businesses that support them are daunting, and we want to do everything we can to help them through these difficult times,” Blank said.
In addition to the Northeast fisheries, Blank issued disaster determinations Thursday for the Alaska salmon and Mississippi oyster and blue crab fisheries. The declarations open the door for Congress to appropriate money toward alleviating the financial hardship caused by the disasters.
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