Congressman Barney Frank
Representing Massachusetts' 4th District

Today, Congressman Barney Frank responded to interim rules issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which are intended to strike a balance between maintaining a sustainable fish population and protecting the local fishing industry. The interim rules are a revision of previous rules issued by the Bush administration. They will stay in effect until the final regulations are issued in May 2010, after an in-depth review of current policies.

Congressman Frank stated that the new interim rule was a step in the right direction, but that further amendment would be necessary to protect local fisherman.

“Our first experience with the Obama administration with respect to this issue has some good news and bad news,” said Congressman Frank. “I appreciate the Administrator’s willingness to meet with members of Congress on the Amendment 16 Interim Rule and the subsequent action to make some improvements to the original interim proposal under the Bush Administration.”

“However, the rule is not as good as it should be. I remain concerned that there continue to be areas where two fishing days are counted as one. This poses a threat to fishermen’s safety as smaller vessels may look for fishing opportunities further out to sea. Also, fishermen will still suffer significant financial hardship under this interim plan and the agency will need to address that. We can do better. I will continue to work with other Members on issues such as rebuilding flexibility and improved assessment data for troubled stocks that are driving the management of the groundfish fishery as we move toward the implementation of a Final Rule for Amendment 16.”