CONTACT: Matt Stout FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(202)482-6090 6/26/95
John Bullard
(202)482-3384
Northeast groundfish fishermen who are willing to scrap their vessels and surrender their fishing permits can now apply for a voluntary buyout, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.
"The goal of this project is to demonstrate that a vessel removal program can be successfully designed and implemented and be an effective tool in the conservation and management of U.S. fisheries," said Douglas K. Hall, Commerce's assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere. "This is a voluntary program that addresses the needs expressed by fishermen adversely affected by the decline of traditional fisheries in the Northeast."
The $2 million Fishing Capacity Reduction Demonstration Program (FCRDP), administered by NOAA's Office of Sustainable Development and the National Marine Fisheries Service, is accepting applications postmarked on or before Sept. 5, as announced in the Federal Register. NOAA has mailed out applications along with the instructions contained in the Register notice to all relevant permit holders.
Vessel owners must meet the following conditions to qualify for the FCRDP:
o Have a valid multispecies limited-access individual days at
sea (DAS), fleet DAS or limited access gillnet fishing permit. Vessel
owners must surrender such permits along with ALL other federal
fishing permits issued to that vessel if awarded a grant
under the FCRDP.
o Be active and functioning at the time of application, which
means that a vessel must be capable of fishing for groundfish in
federal waters under its own power. Applicants will be required to
show proof that their vessel made at least two fishing trips (of any
duration for any species) between March 1, 1995, and May 1, 1995.
o Have earned 65 percent or more of gross annual revenues
from the sale of groundfish regulated under the multi-species plan in
three of the past four years (from 1991 to 1994), through use of the
vessel listed in the application. Under the Northeast Multispecies
Fishery Management Plan, the regulated groundfish species are cod,
haddock, pollock, yellowtail flounder, winter flounder, gray sole,
American plaice, windowpane flounder, white hake, and redfish.
Bids will be judged on a competitive basis to remove the greatest effective fishing capacity at the least cost.
For additional information about the program, applicants may contact Leo Erwin, Chief, N.E. Financial Services Branch NMFS, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 09130-2298; tel: 506/281-9203.