Ground Fishermen

NOAA is announcing a reprieve of sorts for New England's ground fishermen. The agency has found another $200,000 that will enable the government to pay for at-sea observers on vessels for the next month or two. The money comes from one of three companies hired by the government to provide observers on fishing boats...

Community organizations that serve the fishing industry are currently collecting applications from ground-fishermen across the state for Federal Disaster funding. In New Bedford, 129 applications have been submitted so far at the Fishing Partnership office on MacArthur Drive...

The Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries is getting ready to distribute groundfish disaster relief funds to fishermen who need help. The Federal Government has sent more than $14-million to Massachusetts to assist fishermen being hurt by new regulations and declining fish stocks...

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell has sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, in support of disaster funding for grouind-fishermen in New England.  Mitchell says about half of New Bedford's 100 draggers have left the fishery, causing hundreds of fishermen and shore-side support workers to lose their jobs...