Permit bank to aid rural fishermen
A commercial fishing permit bank designed to support small-scale fishermen in rural ports along the Maine coast has drawn the ire of some who argue the program excludes Portland fishermen.
The program, announced yesterday by the National Marine Fisheries Service and Maine Department of Marine Resources, would buy and hold groundfish permits, divide up fishing rights and lease the permits to eligible fishermen struggling to stay in business until fish stocks rebound, according to the Portland Press Herald. State officials will run the program, funded by $1 million from the federal agency, with more requested from Congress. The program's start date has not yet been set.
The permit bank, a pilot program that could be duplicated in other states, is designed to help rural near-shore fishermen ineligible under new groundfish catch share rules taking effect this year. But Portland fishermen opposed the plan, saying it ignores the state's larger operations that haul in the most catch and are also struggling to operate in Maine. Maggie Raymond, who co-owns two groundfishing boats, told the Press Herald the bank could have helped fishermen stay in Portland or bring some fishing boats back that have been forced to operate out of state. "It's unfortunate that they chose to target this money to one specific group only," she told the paper.
Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
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