To the New England Fisheries Management Council,
I am writing as a concerned citizen and supporter of fishermen and fishing communities. I gained an appreciation of commercial fishermen growing up in the small community of South Freeport, where, according to the Council’s data, a groundfish permit resided as late as 2004. As a resident of Maine, I like to buy my seafood as locally as possible. I fear that my fellow Mainers and I will no longer have this option if no action is taken to address the problem of consolidation. As it stands now, locally landed groundfish is conspicuously absent from many coastal communities.
Jonesport, Maine is amongst communities without access. |
As consolidation disproportionately affects smaller communities, I would like the Council to take definite steps to preserve New England’s fishing heritage through strong fleet diversity measures. These measures should be taken to ensure access stays with actual fishermen (not banks) so the economic benefits stay within the community.
I also support former Council Member Dana Rice’s proposal. He suggests that as groundfish stocks recover, more entrants, including permit holders with no quota and new entrants, should be allowed into the fishery. Additionally, when a permit is sold a percentage of the quota should stay in the corresponding state’s permit bank. Fish are a public trust resource, and there should be provisions in place to ensure all fishermen, not just a select few, have continued access to the resource in order to sustain our coastal communities.
NOTE FROM NAMA:
Thank you Sara for sharing your comments. We encourage everyone who, like Sara believes fleet diversity matters, to submit your own comments as part of a public comment period. Click HERE for help on e-mail comments. Every comment counts!