NOAA 96-R701

Contact:  Matt Stout                FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                    1/31/96

NOAA Reopens Rhode Island Fishing Family Assistance Center

The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will reopen its Family Assistance Center in Rhode Island to help fishing families in the region deal with the adverse economic impact of the recent North Cape oil spill.

"This is indicative of the Commerce Department's commitment to working to advance the economic security of America's families and communities," said Commerce Secretary Ron Brown. "We are confident the Family Assistance Center, as well as other Commerce and interagency initiatives, will play a strong and positive role in helping this region to rebuild a stable and growing economy."

"The disaster in Rhode Island has compounded the economic stress caused by drastic reductions in groundfish species," said NOAA Administrator D. James Baker. "The combination of these situations will have immediate, and possibly long-term economic and social consequences."

The center will provide fishermen and their families with various forms of assistance, including information on retraining programs, loans such as those available through Commerce's Economic Development Administration, grants such as the Saltonstall-Kennedy grant program available from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, start-up loans through Working Capital/Peer Lending Group, and providing points of contact for support services at various other agencies.

Angela Caporelli, former director of the Rhode Island Fishing Family Assistance Center, has been rehired by the National Marine Fisheries Service to re-establish the center to support fishermen and their families affected by the recent oil spill.

The center is operating out of the Oliver Steadman Government Center in Wakefield, R.I.



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(NOAA 96-R701) BACKGROUND On Jan. 19, 1996, the petroleum barge "North Cape" ran aground several miles west of Point Judith, R.I., loaded with approximately three million gallons of heating oil, of which an estimated 800,000 gallons were spilled. All fishing and shellfishing have been prohibited by the state of Rhode Island from the area south of a line extending from Bonnet Point in South Kingstown to Beavertail Point in Jamestown to Brenton Point in Newport and bounded by the LORAN coordinates 25740 east to 14540 west to 43870 south. In addition, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has prohibited shellfish harvesting from all coastal shore ponds from Point Judith to Napatree Point, which includes Point Judith, Potters, Cards, Trustom, Green Hill, Ninigret, Quonochontaug, and Winnapaug and all offshore waters south of the demarcation line and all waters around Block Island. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is currently taking steps to close federal waters adjacent to the Rhode Island closure in support of these measures.

Drastic declines in the stocks of cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder and other species collectively taken by otter trawling in the Northwest Atlantic have resulted in social and economic hardships for fishermen and processors dependant on these fisheries. During FY 1994-95, the Congress appropriated $30 million to the fishing industry through two of its agencies, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and NMFS. Revolving loans, technical development funding and critical infrastructure projects were undertaken by EDA, whereas NMFS established six Fishing Family Assistance Centers, of which the Rhode Island office was one of two mobile Centers responsible for broad geographic areas. NMFS also established a $9 million grant program, focusing on underutilized fisheries, aquaculture as a means for replenishing depleted fish stocks, new business opportunities, and reducing mortality of fish taken as bycatch in normal fishing operations. Sixty-three projects were approved and are being funded now. In addition, NMFS provided funding through the Fisheries Obligation Guarantee Program to assist owners of fishing vessels with mortgage refinancing and restructuring as well as retrofitting and re-equipping fishing vessels and shoreside facilities.

For further information, contact Kenneth L. Beal, State, Federal and Constituent Programs Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930, telephone: 508-281-9267.