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I appreciate the opportunity to present my views to this subcommittee. As you are well 

 aware, Mr. Chairman, the Massachusetts fishing industry is an important economic asset as well 

 as an integral part of our New England heritage. Today, however, coastal fisheries which once 

 appeared to be an inexhaustible natural resource, are in trouble and Massachusetts fishermen face 

 difficult personal and financial decisions. Since the first Senate hearings on the New England 

 groundfish crisis which I chaired in 1 992, it has been apparent that the current federal fisheries 

 management apparatus does not have the tools necessary to address the social and economic 

 needs of fishermen who face severe stock rebuilding restrictions and increasing competition. 

 Nor are our traditional disaster assistance programs and agriculture relief programs structured to 

 provide the additional financial assistance which the fishermen in Massachusetts and other New 

 England states need to allow them to either exit the industry without suffering total economic 

 loss or carry them through the rebuilding period until they can make a sustained livelihood from 

 fishing once again. Governor Weld's unsuccessful efforts to secure a Stafford Act disaster 

 declaration clearly demonstrate this problem. 



Nevertheless, through the efforts of the New England congressional delegation and with 

 the help of the Clinton Administration, we have been able to provide some relief for this 

 struggling industry. The program I originally introduced in 1992 to help with the then-pending 

 Amendment 5 restrictions ~ the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Fisheries Reinvestment program - 

 has provided a total of $5.3 million in fiscal years 1994 and 1995 for promoting the development 

 of underutilized species, for developing alternative fishing opportunities and assistance to create 

 new economic opportunities through improved processing, and for expanding the use of fish 

 waste. In addition, in April 1994, when I was able to identify a source of funding under the 

 Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act, then Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown announced a $30 

 million fisheries assistance package for the coastal states from New York to Maine. 



In addition, you and I and other members of the delegation have worked to identify 

 programs and funding available from existing Administration programs •- including those in the 

 Department of Labor, the Economic Development Administration and the Department of 

 Commerce Small Business Administration -- to mitigate the severe economic impact associated 

 with the decline in fish stocks and the resulting strict fishing restrictions. These investments in 

 short-term relief and long-term industry development included opening several Family Fisheries 

 Assistance Centers to help those communities which have been hit the hardest. I and others 

 have worked hard to ensure other resources are available to address the needs of fisheries, 

 fishermen and their families, and fishing communities, including the Northwest Atlantic Ocean 

 Fisheries Reinvestment Program, the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants and Fishing Industry Grants - 

 which together have provided a total of over $ 1 1 million in grants to members of the fishing, 

 aquaculture and scientific communities; the ongoing $25 million program to buy out fishing 

 vessels and permits to reduce fishing effort; Economic Development Administration grants of 



