Dear Senator Warren
6/9/2018
Dear Senator Warren , As a retired commercial fisherman, and your constituent, I am trying to help those fishermen that still exist.
I want to out line our problems, as I see them.
A. The science used by NOAA decides our future. Under the current law NOAA does not have to compare or look at other scientific data. They “own” the term “best available science” exclusively, excluding better data collected by non government entities, including collaborative science between industry and academia! This is wrong.
This needs to be changed, and the only way is to have some wording in The Magnusson Act to that effect. By supporting HR-200, you can right this wrong.
B. Saltonstall-Kennedy Act – S-K grant money is not going to our fisherman as intended, and needs to be taken out of NOAA and create an Advisory Board as was in 1954.
The objective of the S-K program is to address the needs of fishing communities in providing economic benefits for rebuilding and maintaining sustainable fisheries, and in dealing with the impacts of conservation and management measures.
Presently Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska has a bill S132 on the floor to do just that. Please vote in favor of his bill.
C. Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument – Presently our fisherman can not fish in that area off Cape Cod, but the lobsterman can for seven years. This is a rich fishing ground for our fisherman and that ban needs to be lifted.
D. At Sea Monitoring – This is another problem, and thanks to Senator Shaheen we have a year that our boats do not have to pay for this regulatory burden. We need that to continue permanently, and not just for the short term.
Now even if we were to solve some of these issues, it will not be enough for our fleet to survive. This is why I am asking for your support and help to draft a long term plan, that being, a U.S. Fish Bill tailored to our endangered industry like the U.S Farm Bill is for the agriculture industry.
The bill would basically provide long term federal financial assistance by means of money paid to our fisherman that agree to not exceed what amount of fish that NOAA claims are depleted, and as those stocks come back less compensation to our fisherman.
I communicated these issues to you last year, regarding this subject.
So in closing, I am asking for your support and help to draft such a bill.
Thank You,
Sam Parisi
Gloucester, Massachusetts
tel 978 491 7722
