Kerry has demanded answers on fishing

[karynnj]

There are several articles on Kerry's follow up demands on the head of NOAA.

The Gloucester Times seems to have the most detail.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry told NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco Wednesday he expects her to be sent the scientific proof she's requiring about the harmful impact of catch share management on the groundfishery — and he expects her to issue a "disaster declaration later this month."
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Kerry's Wednesday letter also raised a new issue — information that has come to his attention of a NOAA policy that encourages "overzealous enforcement and excessive fines" by linking career advancement to the volume of cases and size of penalties taken from fishermen
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In all, Kerry's nearly 2,500-word letter discusses 10 specific issues and requests, including a public appeal for NOAA to rectify personal economic disasters suffered by two Massachusetts fishermen — Kevin Scola of Marshfield and Jim Keding of Plymouth — as a direct result of "bureaucratic mistakes."
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"For those of us who believe in government, but also believe in accountability," Kerry wrote, "it is only common sense that we ensure that when such mistakes are made, people are made whole — that's ultimately how we maintain people's faith in government. We simply have to help these two fishermen," he wrote.

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x859489584/Kerry-urges-NOAA-chief-to-admit-disaster

From the Boston Globe:

In his letter, Kerry pushed Lubchenco to support Gov. Deval Patrick’s request last November for a federal disaster declaration and $21 million in economic aid, calling the declaration “desperately needed to help our fishermen deal with the effects of federal regulations.’’

“For fishermen who are losing the way of life their family has proudly carried on for generations, there is no time to waste,’’ he wrote.

Kerry asked Lubchenco for an “appropriate’’ level of funding for a scientific review of the health of all New England fish stocks by the end of 2013.

And he requested she use $7.5 million allocated to the NOAA in a Senate appropriations bill to pay for monitors who record how much fishermen catch and discard at sea. The monitors are needed under the new rules to ensure fishermen don’t exceed strict catch limits. The government has so far absorbed their extra cost, but it’s supposed to fall on fishermen next year

http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-19/news/30298293_1_fishing-industry-fishermen-kerry

U.S. Sen. John Kerry is asking the nation’s ocean chief to support a federal disaster declaration for New England’s fishing industry.

The Massachusetts Democrat also asked National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco for money to improve fisheries science and to pay for required fishing catch monitors.

The requests were among 11 Kerry made in a letter Wednesday to Lubchenco. The letter was a follow-up to Lubchenco’s visit to Massachusetts this month to face questions about her agency’s oversight of the local fishing industry.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/environment/mass-us-sen-kerry-asks-federal-ocean-policy-boss-for-return-visit-fishing-industry-aid/2011/10/19/gIQAnje0xL_story.html (which is the AP article)

From the articles - and past articles, Kerry has been beyond patient with the administration - to his own detriment, unless the administration acts on this. His arguments seem sound and I hope Obama's administration complies with his requests. (Brown meanwhile is pandering with a bill to scrap regulation entirely - http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=scott%20brown&source=newssearch&cd=29&ved=0CGAQqQIwCDgU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FAPdf34ae3c00934104839d2d5a800ee537.html&ctbm=nws&ei=iiGgTt7yOsL40gGG1MTVBA&usg=AFQjCNGz5MOiNP6rfAetOo2_e2Np7yN-Hg&cad=rja )

Kerry's website has a video of his opening comments at the hearing he had in Boston - http://kerry.senate.gov/press/multimedia/?id=ef398cfb-5056-a032-52c4-55eaa43c4fc2

[karynnj]

1. The Head of NOAA agreed to pay for the monitors thru April 2013

and promised answers to Kerry's other demands.

In a preliminary response to Sen. John Kerry's comprehensive reform agenda for the New England fisheries, NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco on Thursday announced a commitment to continue paying the multi-million dollar cost of at-sea monitoring for commercial fishing boats.
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Lubchenco also volunteered to give industry a say in the selection of the two top positions in the Northeast region — regional administrator and chief scientist at the Science Center at Woods Hole.
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She (Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, the region's largest industry group) thanked Sens. Kerry, along with Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both Maine Republicans, for protecting funding for the subsidy.
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Beyond the initial actions announced Wednesday, NOAA spokesman Scott Smullen said, "We will be providing a complete response to other issues raised in Senator Kerry's letter in the near future."

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x859490826/NOAA-chief-extends-monitoring-payments