August 14th, 2014
By Sean Horgan
They’ve waited more than a half-year for the help to arrive, as if on the wrong end of a siege. From the wintry evening in January when Congress appropriated the $75 million in fishery disaster assistance, through the spring and on into the final weeks of summer, fishermen in Gloucester and throughout Massachusetts waited for the money to arrive.
Their wait is nearly over.
NOAA announced Wednesday that it has approved the Massachusetts grant application necessary for the state to receive the $6.3 million in direct federal financial assistance, which the state now will parcel out to the estimated 200 eligible Bay State permit holders — including more than 50 fishing out of Gloucester — in checks for $32,500 per permit.
“We hope that by early September or even sooner, we will have issued all of the checks to the eligible permit holders,” said Mary Griffin, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game. “We all understand the need to get this money out as quickly as possible.”
The state and NOAA must complete some administrative paperwork before the funds are transferred to the state, but both sides say those steps are merely formalities and could be completed within days.
The real task now, according to Griffin, is to get all of the eligible permit holders to register with the state as vendors so they can get paid. To date, only eight of the estimated 200 eligible permit holders have completed and submitted the necessary form, she said.
“The quicker they complete the paperwork and become state vendors, the quicker they will get their check,” Griffin said, adding that those permit holders deemed eligible for the direct assistance should already have been notified of their status by NOAA and received the necessary state vendor form in the mail.
“Anyone eligible who hasn’t received the form should contact the Division of Marine Fisheries,” Griffin said.
Griffin also said that the DMF plans to hold informational sessions sometime next week in Gloucester and other port cities to help fishermen complete the necessary requirements to receive the assistance.
Griffin and other state officials initially said they didn’t expect to distribute the direct assistance until around Oct. 1, but persistent pressure from state officials and the state’s congressional delegation — including strong lobbying by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and U.S. Rep. John Tierney — helped convince the Department of Commerce to move more quickly to distribute the funds to the requisite states.
“I met with Secretary Pritzker about it at the White House for the signing of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act [in July] and had other conversations with senior staff at Commerce about the need to get this money to the fishermen,” Tierney said Wednesday. “I’m delighted our hard work has paid off, but I will continue fighting until every dollar is distributed.”
U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey expressed pleasure at the news of the money moving to the state, calling it “an important first step toward helping our struggling fishermen and fishing communities.” There remains “much work to be done,” he said.
The news was welcomed across Gloucester, as well.
Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, applauded the effort of the state’s congressional delegation and the Patrick administration for securing the funds and helping expedite the process for getting money into the hands of the people who need it most.
“I think they’ve all understood the urgency of the situation and the need for help that people have right now,” Sanfilippo said.
Some welcomed the news, but not without rancor at what they believe is the federal government’s role in the ongoing fishery disaster, including drastically slashed catch limits based on what they consider suspect stock assessments, increased gear regulation and closing fishing areas.
“I think that’s awesome, but I wish it could have been sooner because the whole fleet has been waiting for it,” said Gloucester fisherman Joe Orlando, owner of F/V Santo Pio. “It’s not enough for what we lost — not even close. And that’s the truth.”
Orlando was asked how he and other fishermen will spend the money.
“It’s all going to bill collectors to pay back bills,” he said. “We’ve all got them.”
The $6.3 million is the direct assistance portion of the $14.5 million in federal fishing aid heading to Massachusetts, with the remaining $8.2 million to be distributed in a state-specific grant program designed to help crew members, charter operators and shoreside fishing-affiliated businesses.
Contact Sean Horgan at 978-675-2714, or shorgan@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanGDT and check out his blog, Glosta Daily, on gloucestertimes.com.
