Category: Emily Aronson
Tierney Fundraising For Re-Election Campaign
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2002–Rep. John Tierney (D-Salem) raised almost $500,000 for his re-election campaign that he is expected to win on Nov. 5.
Campaign finance reports released on Oct. 15 showed that Tierney collected $494,098 by the end of September with 64 percent of contributions coming from individual donors mostly located in Massachusetts.
The largest contributions came from the North Shore area, with donors from Marblehead and Salem contributing a total of over $20,000 each. They include attorney Joseph Correnti of Salem with an $850 donation, architect Paul Durand of Salem with $1,000, and former Congressman Michael Harrington of Beverly giving $1,200.
Much of Tierney’s smaller contributions came from various local businessmen and attorneys, with lawyers providing the greatest industry contribution of $39,500.
About one-quarter of Tierney’s total donations came from unions and political action committees (PAC), with the Teamsters and Mechanists/Aerospace unions giving $10,000 each. Labor interest groups provided the most PAC money with a total of $79,000.
As of October Tierney had spent $272,753 of his money, with $35,000 going for contributions to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington DC.
Other expenditures included payments to many North Shore businesses. Tierney frequented places like The Beverly Storage Warehouse in Beverly, Butterworth & O’Toole Office Supplies in Salem, and catering facilities at the Lyceum Bar & Grill in Salem.
Tierney’s opponent, Mark Smith of Burlington, did not raise nearly as much as the 3rd term incumbent. Over 60 percent of the almost $52,000 raised came out of Smith’s own pocket. As of October he had spent $28,000 from his campaign chest.
Smith received no money from the Republican Party or any political action committees. His biggest individual contributors were John Cabot of Manchester with $950 and Michael Cronin of West with $1,000.
Out of state contributions made up only three percent of contributions with donors from the Washington DC area and New York giving a little over $2,000 each.
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
Post Security Bill Affects Coast Guard
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2002--The Coast Guard's responsibilities will be transformed under the Maritime Transportation Antiterrorism Act of 2002, which aims to increase port security duties of Coast Guard units across the country.
Coast Guard units in Massachusetts do not yet know how their responsibilities will change. "It's going to be a while before we know the civic implications," said Andrew Shinn, public affairs specialist for the First Coast Guard District in Boston.
The legislation, approved last week, integrates federal, state, local and private law enforcement agencies to oversee security at U.S. seaports. The Coast Guard will be responsible for coordinating the national security efforts of these agencies and developing plans to ensure the maximum level of transportation safety at the nation's 361 ports.
The landmark law also authorizes $5.9 billion for Coast Guard operations in the current fiscal year and increases the number of active-duty Coast Guard personnel to 45,500, up from about 35,500.
The bill had been stuck in a House-Senate conference committee since June over a debate on how to finance the bill. It finally passed without any funding source, and it will be up to President Bush to submit a detailed funding proposal to Congress within six months after signing the bill.
Rep. John Tierney (D-Salem) supports the new law's intent but says the Coast Guard will have trouble performing its new security responsibilities until the authorized funds are provided.
"The Coast Guard has lots of other functions [like enforcing boat safety and fishing regulations], and we need to know they are going to have the funding and the people capacity in order to expand on the other requirements that have been put on them," Tierney said.
Tierney criticized the Bush administration's push to pass homeland security measures without any proposals for paying for them.
"They passed a homeland security bill, but they don't put any money in it," Tierney said. "I think the act itself certainly gives some opportunities, but most of the opportunities come with a price tag."
Passage of the bill preceded this week's approval of legislation to create a new Department of Homeland Security, which would move 170,000 employees from 22 existing government agencies-including the Coast Guard-into a single department dedicated to domestic security. It will be the largest governmental reorganization since 1947.
Coast Guard policy does not allow spokespersons to comment specifically on security efforts or pending federal legislation, but local Coast Guard officials said that the promise of more money and personnel would improve their security efforts.
"We look forward to going more to homeland security," Gloucester Coast Guard spokesman Brian Henry said. "Everything revolves around money, and hopefully that will increase our budget and provide a better service to the community."
In a report the General Accounting Office submitted to Congress at the beginning of this month, officials from the First Coast Guard District reported that increased hours their personnel spent on security operations from Sept. 11, 2001, to Sept. 30, 2002, created $400,000 in unforeseen maintenance expenditures.
Dave Cornell, a spokesperson for the Newburyport Coast Guard unit, would not comment on how the legislation would affect his staff of 24. Cornell said all questions had to be directed to the public affairs office of the First Coast Guard District.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, all First District units have become "multi-mission capable"-able to conduct a wider variety of operations--in order to conduct homeland security operations, and the new law is designed to further improve the Coast Guard's ability to protect Massachusetts's ports.
The legislation also includes the Port Threat and Security Act, co-sponsored by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). It requires the Coast Guard to report annually to Congress on foreign vessels that pose a risk to U.S. ports and establishes a sea marshal program that allows armed personnel to board ships entering U.S. ports in order to deter hijackings and other terrorist threats.
Kerry, as chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee's Oceans, Fisheries, and Atmosphere Subcommittee, helped oversee hearings on the Coast Guard's role in improving maritime security after the attacks of Sept. 11.
Speaking on the Senate floor last week, Kerry said that he recognized the unique homeland defense responsibilities of the Coast Guard and that the additional funds and resources the new law authorizes were long overdue.
"It is vitally important that we adequately fund and staff all of the missions of the Coast Guard," Kerry said. "This legislation, while not as generous as many of us would like, is a step in the right direction."
The bill also authorizes $725 million in this fiscal year for acquisition, construction, and improvement of equipment and facilities. Most of the money will be used to modernize the Coast Guard's Deepwater program, which focuses on improving command and control capabilities in deep-water environments.
It also requires the Coast Guard to work with the Department of Transportation and the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) to perform maritime security measures like conducting background checks of port employees and issuing transportation security identification cards
"Passage of this legislation is a major step in establishing a framework for ports and others in the maritime industry…to protect America's homeland," AAPA president Kurt Nagle said in a Nov. 15 statement. "AAPA looks forward to working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard as it takes on the responsibility for implementing much of the act."
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
Port and Maritime Security Act Set to Pass in Congress
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2002--The Maritime Transportation Antiterrorism Act of 2002, which its sponsors say would significantly improve security around the nation's ports, is set for final congressional approval when legislators return to Washington Nov. 12.
The bill, which has been stuck in a House-Senate conference committee since June, would integrate federal, state, local and private law enforcement agencies overseeing security at America's seaports. Much of the debate focused on how to fund the bill, which would authorize an estimated $1 billion in grants and programs through fiscal 2008.
Senate and House negotiators reached a tentative deal on the measure on Oct. 17 after Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee chairman Ernest F. Hollings (D-SC) dropped his insistence that a new cargo user fee or an extension of U.S. Customs Service tonnage duties fund the bill. Shippers and port authorities had opposed the Hollings plan, and the bill was held up for months until Hollings dropped his proposal.
The legislation would require the Coast Guard to work in conjunction with port authorities to develop terrorism response plans and establish local port security committees. It would also authorize $5.9 billion for Coast Guard operations in the current fiscal year.
"The bill has very important elements to it that gives the Coast Guard greater authority in protecting our ports and waterways," said Andrew Shinn, public affairs specialist for the First Coast Guard District in Boston.
It is not yet clear how the Coast Guard units in Newburyport and Gloucester, which mainly conduct maritime search and rescue efforts, would be integrated into the national port security efforts.
Dean Jones, public affairs officer for the First Coast Guard District, said specific policy information would not be known until the bill is approved. Jones said that since Sept. 11, 2001, all First Coast Guard District units have become "multi-mission capable" in order to conduct homeland security operations and that the new law would further improve their ability to protect Massachusetts's ports.
A spokesperson at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington declined to comment on pending legislation..
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) co-sponsored the Port Threat and Security Act, which was incorporated into the larger bill. It would direct the Secretary of Transportation to report to congressional committees on the activity of foreign ships in U.S. ports and on U.S. steps to improve registration procedures for all ships. It would also place sea marshals on vessels with potentially dangerous cargoes entering the United States.
"Our nation's ports and harbors our are first line of defense, and over 2 billion tons of freight move every day from our ports to all corners of our country via railways, highways and pipelines," Kerry said Oct. 23. "Even before Sept. 11 our maritime and port security was in sorry shape. However, the attacks on New York and Washington made it clear we must take immediate steps to secure our ports against any terrorist attacks."
If Congress approves the bill next month, it will be sent to President Bush, who is likely to sign it.. However, Congress may not decide how to fund the bill--either through regular appropriations or other legislation-until next year.
The House approved its version of the bill in early June, and the Senate acted last December.
The act would mandate for the first time that all ports, facilities and vessels have comprehensive security plans maintained by port authorities and the Coast Guard. It would also direct the Department of Transportation to institute maximum-security plans by conducting background checks of port employees, issuing transportation security identification cards and limiting access to security-sensitive areas.
The Coast Guard would be authorized to board ships entering U.S. ports to deter highjackings and other terrorist threats, as well as to check seafarers for proper identification and restrict firearms and other weapons at ports.
The American Association of Port Authorities, the alliance of leading ports in the Western Hemisphere, was one of the groups opposing the Hollings plan to tax the maritime industry. The group's president, Kurt Nagle, said he was pleased Congress had finally reached an agreement to pave the way for final passage next month.
"Enhancing seaport security is a top priority for U.S. ports today, and we look forward to partnering with the federal government to protect our international borders," Nagle said.
Federal authorities would have a better idea of how the Department of Transportation and the Coast Guard intend to implement the new maritime security measures once Bush signs the bill into law.
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
D.C. Sniper Shootings Affect Mass. Residents
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2002--When George Washington University sophomore Keith Raine sees a helicopter flying overhead, he now assumes that someone in the area has been shot. When Howard Parnell, a father of two in suburban Virginia, loads groceries into his car, he cannot help but wonder if he will be the next target of an unknown assailant.
The recent shootings by an anonymous sniper in the greater Washington area has rocked the lives of its residents, including many originally from the North Shore community.
Parnell lived in the Newburyport area for 10 years before moving to Vienna, Va., in Fairfax County, where 47-year-old FBI employee Linda Franklin was fatally shot Monday in the parking lot of a Home Depot store.
"The little routine things like getting gas, going to the grocery store, that you never thought about before--now you have to think about, are you going to make yourself a target?" Parnell, a former editor at the Newburyport Daily News, said.
The random nature of the shootings and the fact that all of the victims were doing mundane things like pumping gas, mowing the lawn or walking to school heighten residents' sense of fear.
"Nobody ever expects to be shot, and that's what makes this so scary," said Raine, who grew up in Rockport. "It's just so random; they [the victims] were just going about their daily lives."
While those in the D.C. area are being extra cautious, most stress that they have not changed their daily routines because of the sniper.
Adam Arguelles, a freshman at Georgetown University from Westford, said that everyone is a potential victim and that changing his lifestyle would not end the threat of the sniper.
"Sure it's a possibility, but I am not going to allow my life to be governed by fear," Arguelles said. "The goal of the sniper is the paralysis of the D.C. metro area, and I think that by staying inside and changing your daily routine you are helping he or she accomplish their goals."
Rep. John Tierney (D-Salem) said he has made sure that members of his staff who live in the D.C. area take safety precautions, but he said that none of them are letting minor fear turn into paranoia.
Tierney said he has fought in Congress for aid to police forces so they can combat random acts of violence and better identify murder weapons, and added that he hopes legislation to help community police forces will pass when Congress returns after the Nov. 5 elections.
Ironically, those living within the city, which has a higher crime rate than the suburbs, feel less affected by the sniper.
Newburyport High School graduate Elise Berton, a freshman at George Washington University, said she feels safe within the confines of her city campus.
Berton said that there is a high police presence on campus and that she is comforted by the argument that the sniper would not strike downtown because it would be difficult to make a getaway in such a busy area.
"It's weird because it's happening so close to me, but it's so far from me. He wouldn't be able to come into the inner city, but he's just three miles away," Berton said.
Since the shootings began on Oct. 2, all of the victims were shot in suburban areas of Maryland or Virginia, except for a 72-year-old man who was killed Oct. 3 in a section of Washington that borders Maryland.
Police from various jurisdictions are involved in an investigation in which there are few witnesses and no apparent connection between any of the victims.
The shooting outside the Home Depot Oct. 14 garnered the best evidence to date of the sniper and the getaway vehicle. Police said the vehicle is believed to be a light-colored Chevrolet Astro van or a Ford Econoline van. However, police announced Thursday that they could not offer a sketch of the sniper because witnesses from the Home Depot shooting could not agree on any details except that the sniper is male.
After living with the threat of the sniper for over two weeks, D.C.-area residents now expect to hear the worst when they turn on the television or pick up a newspaper.
"It's part of living down here now," Parnell said.
Parnell said people in the area have learned to deal with violent threats, but this month's sniper shootings have especially worn out the community.
"Last year it was September 11, and then the anthrax scare, but this is a lot more prolonged and protracted. So it makes it that much more difficult."
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
Tierney to Vote ‘No’ on Iraq Resolution
WASHINGTON, Oct. 09, 2002--Rep. John Tierney (D-Salem) said he will vote against the resolution to use military force in Iraq when the House of Representatives votes on the measure this week. Meanwhile Sen. John F. Kerry, who had not previously announced his position, said yesterday that he would vote for the resolution.
Congress this week is debating a resolution that would give broad power to the President to use "necessary and appropriate" military force against Iraq even without backing from the United Nations.
Tierney said Saddam Hussein does not present an immediate threat to United States security. He suggested the U.S. and U.N. work diplomatically to enforce inspections and destroy weapons of mass destruction.
"The administration says that Hussein is bad and no one disagrees. Nor do we disagree with the notion that the U.N. resolutions must be enforced by U.N. Security Council action. The administration, though, asserts that the U.S. must act peremptorily and right now because Iraq is an imminent threat. But the truth be told it has not met the burden of truth to that claim," Tierney said in a speech on the House floor Wednesday.
Rather than implementing a measured, international inspection program Tierney said the Administration is pushing a hasty and costly resolution that will sacrifice the U.S. military and economy.
"What about the sacrifices in terms of our economy. What will people be asked to forgo in terms of education and health care and prescription drugs," Tierney said.
Tierney also cited declassified CIA reports that said Iraq would only be likely to use biological or chemical weapons if it was provoked by United States military intervention.
In a statement on the Senate floor Kerry said he was "voting to give this authority to the President for one reason and one reason only: to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction if we cannot accomplish that objective through new though weapons inspections."
Kerry had previously criticized Bush for rushing into a military campaign against Iraq without the consent of the American public, but said his opinion changed after the Bush Administration outlined a comprehensive case against Saddam Hussein to Congress and the American public.
"In the clearest presentation to date the President [in a speech on Monday] laid out a strong, comprehensive and compelling argument why Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs are a threat to the United States and the international community," Kerry said.
Kerry said that he is voting for the resolution because he believes that Hussein's "deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction…is a real and grave threat to our security and that of our allies in the Persian Golf region."
But he also emphasized that Bush should use military force only as a last resort. "I will support a multilateral effort to disarm Iraq by force, if we have exhausted all other options. But I cannot and will not support a unilateral, U.S. war against Iraq unless the threat is imminent and no multilateral effort is possible," Kerry said.
"By standing with the President, Congress will demonstrate that our nation is united in its determination to take away Saddam Hussein's deadly arsenal, by peaceful means if we can, by force if we must," Kerry said.
Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy continues to oppose the Iraq resolution. Since the end of September he has been a leading Democrat against military action, arguing that a war in Iraq would undermine the war against terrorism, disrupt interests in the Middle East, and put American lives in jeopardy.
In a statement released this week Sen. Kennedy commended Bush for taking his case to the American people in his speech on Monday, but said the President failed to show that the "the time has come for war."
"There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein is a despicable tyrant…but the war against terrorism and our wider interests in the region and the world demand a course that relies on war only as a last resort, after all reasonable alternatives have been fairly tried," Kennedy said.
Bush's prime-time speech from Cincinnati did not outline a specific military plan of action, but warned that the United States must intervene before Saddam Hussein has the chance to act.
"Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud," Bush said.
Kennedy said that without an outline of what a possible war would like it would be wrong to send troops to Iraq.
"Before Congress acts, the Administration has an obligation to the Congress and the American people to explain the potential consequence of war. As of now, it has not," said Kennedy's statement.
Senate and House leaders hope that a final vote on the resolution will follow the end of floor debate on Thursday.
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
North Shore Affordable Housing Crunch Similar to Rest of Nation
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2002--Two years after the 2000 census that rated Massachusetts the third-lowest state when it comes to home ownership, the state's lack of affordable housing continues to grow.
With a 13 percent price increase in single-family and condominium homes in Northeastern Massachusetts since last year, it is no wonder North Shore residents have difficulties finding a home.
The Greater Newburyport Association of Realtors reports that the average price for a single home in Newburyport in the first nine months of this year was $433,613 as compared to last year's second quarter price of $350,000, a rise of almost 24 percent. As the Newburyport area becomes more desirable for professionals and young families, housing costs rise and lower-income residents have trouble finding affordable housing.
"The sale prices in Newburyport are way off of what a low-income family could afford," Christine Cashman, director of Newburyport's Community Development Block Grant Program,said Wednesday.
As more homeowners move out of the Boston area, more people are looking for property on the North Shore. Over the last few years Newburyport has become a popular area for young professionals and families who can afford more expensive single-family homes and condominiums. This leaves lower-income families looking for housing farther north or in New Hampshire.
Barbara Moynahan, president of the Greater Association of Newburyport Realtors, says even moderate-income residents are forced to look for housing elsewhere because of growing gentrification.
"Newburyport has become an incredibly desirable community," Moynahan said. "As far as people coming in five years from now, I don't see any way that low-income families are going to be able to live here."
The declining availability of low-income housing is a national issue. Earlier this month Sen. Christopher S. Bond (R-MO) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Affordable Housing Expansion Act of 2002. The legislation would establish a $1 billion block grant program for state housing agencies to build more low-income housing and assist in the preservation of existing low-income housing. It also would issue a tax credit for assisted rental units for low- and extremely low-income families.
At a Senate subcommittee hearing Wednesday, Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston, along with Bond Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) and housing agency representatives, testified that skyrocketing costs and limited housing availability have left low- to mixed-income families without many options.
"Despite, or maybe because of, the strength of the housing economy across our country, working families and people of all ages, at different income levels, are struggling to keep a roof over their heads," Menino said in his prepared testimony before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation.
Witnesses called on the federal government to help state governments fund housing subsidy programs. Richard H. Godfrey Jr., executive director of the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp., testified that the best way to alleviate the housing problem is for the government to help subsidize programs that build more low-income housing units.
"The private market just can't meet the demand. We need government intervention to fix it," Godfrey said. The best option, he said, was to establish a federally supported housing program with flexibility that allows states to decide directly where housing money goes.
While Massachusetts's Chapter 40B law aims to ensure that at least 10 percent of every municipality's housing is affordable for low and medium incomes, many communities still do not meet the housing needs of their lower-income residents.
Cashman said that if the figure is approved by the state, Newburyport's official affordable housing percentage would be up to 8.6 percent. Of 7,717 housing units in Newburyport, 687 are subsidized and low-income. In 2001 there were only 666.
The Community Development Block Grant Program also is developing 22 new housing units, 15 of which would be considered affordable. The units would be built on the former site of the Public Works Building on Merrimac Street near Route 1.
Getting low-income people into affordable housing also frees up Newburyport's rental market, Cashman said. "You can't have a tight market in both of those areas and expect people to afford to live here."
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
Senators Respond to Health Threat of West Nile Virus
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2002--Chairing a Senate hearing Tuesday on the growing threat of the West Nile virus, Sen. Edward Kennedy called on his fellow lawmakers to help combat the disease.
Congress should "provide adequate funding for public health measures to contain and reduce the spread" of West Nile, Kennedy, D-MA, said, adding that funding must go to local medical facilities so they can directly combat the rising spread of the virus.
"In the war against disease, the battlegrounds will be our nation's emergency rooms, and the heroes will be our nation's health care professionals," Kennedy said in his opening statement.
The hearing, held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which Kennedy chairs, and the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Governmental Management, Restructuring and the District of Columbia, chaired by Dick Durbin (D-IL), was the first Senate hearing to focus on West Nile since it became a national epidemic.
This year the virus, which is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes that acquire the virus through the blood of an infected bird or animal, has infected almost 2,000 people and caused at least 94 deaths. The virus can spread quickly because it is present in almost all species of mosquitoes.
As of Sept. 13, the Massachusetts Board of Health reported 11 cases and two deaths. Most of the people stricken with the virus were over 50 years old. An infected mosquito pool was found in Swampscott on Sept.19.
The hearing featured testimony from Dr. Julie Louise Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Jesse Goodman, deputy director of the Center for Biologics, Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Witnesses emphasized that while researchers and doctors have made advances in understanding the disease, they still have a way to go in eliminating the threat of the virus.
"This is an evolving epidemic, and we don't know where it's going next," Gerberding said.
Since 1999, when the disease broke out in the United States, communities across the nation have adopted preventive measures such as spraying areas with pesticide, conducting survey tests on birds and mosquitoes and educating residents about the disease through public awareness campaigns.
Recently, the threat of transmitting the West Nile virus through blood transfusions has become a concern. Investigations conducted by the FDA, the CDC, state health departments and blood organizations have garnered preliminary results suggesting that organ transplants and blood transfusions have transmitted the disease.
"It is important to recognize that the true dimension of the risks of either blood transfusion or transplantation spreading West Nile virus is not defined at this time and more information is critically needed," Goodman said in a prepared statement.
The CDC, the FDA and the state health departments are working closely to investigate how many cases of infected transfusions occurred, what preventive measures can be taken, and, most important, how to develop a screening process to detect the West Nile virus in donated blood, Gerberding said.
Witnesses warned that generalized blood screening for West Nile would be a complex and expensive process that could be difficult to implement on a large-scale basis.
The development of a vaccine is also a possible step toward combating the disease. Fauci testified that NIAID has begun to develop a vaccine and expects to move forward with trials early next year. If the trials are successful, a vaccine might be ready within the next few years, Fauci said.
Gerberding stated that this year's funding for federal and state medical facilities is already stretched and that the only way to advance the fight against West Nile is to push for a strong public health system.
"Addressing the threat of emerging infectious diseases such as WNV depends on a revitalized public health system and sustained and coordinated efforts of many individuals and organizations," Gerberding said in her testimony.
The Boston Globe reported on Tuesday that doctors in Mississippi and Georgia have found four patients who contracted a new strain of the virus with symptoms-weak muscles, impaired breathing and fevers-that were similar to that of polio. Discovering a link between West Nile and polio will help in diagnosing and treating infected patients, said the doctors who conducted the study.
For now, witnesses reiterated simple measures all citizens can do to protect themselves, like draining pools of water in backyards, using insect repellent that contains DEET (except on infants), keeping skin covered late at night and checking window screens for holes. Gerberding emphasized the high risk West Nile has for the elderly and said she hoped continued public information campaigns would help prevent additional fatal infections in senior citizens.
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
Mass. Reps. Call for Investigation of Faulty Fishing Surveys
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Just days before Friday's annual fisheries forum in Gloucester, the Massachusetts congressional delegation asked the U.S. Commerce Department to address concerns about faulty equipment the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) uses to conduct fish-counting surveys off the New England coast.
The NMFS disclosed last week that the cable attached to scientific survey gear on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Albatross IV was inaccurately marked and had been used in eight bottom trawl surveys since February 2000.
The NMFS's Sept. 11 statement explained that the Albatross IV's cables were not marked consistently at 50-meter intervals. The incorrect markings caused the two cables that hold the trawl net to tow at an angle. This caused fewer fish to be caught and resulted in data suggesting that fish stocks were declining.
Information from such trawl surveys is vital in determining regulated fishing practices in New England. Legislators questioned how two years of faulty data would affect a fishery management plan that the New England Fishery Management Council has ordered to be completed by August 2003.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans, Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry and Reps. John Tierney, Barney Frank, and William Delahunt, all Massachusetts Democrats, called for establishment of a Northeast science task force to investigate the effect of having used improperly calibrated equipment for two years.
"We strongly encourage you to establish a Northeast science task force that should include state and regional management experts as well as leading scientific and gear experts, including fishermen," the letter states.
The letter also highlighted the effects on the local economy. "The potential economic impacts of this management plan on fishing communities in Massachusetts are severe," it reads. "We therefore wish to stress the importance of removing questions regarding the science that will go into developing this plan."
The NMFS admission of false data is important to local fishermen, who have been questioning scientists' results for years.
"This data has caused many people to suffer," Angela SanFilippo of the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association said in an interview Thursday. The association assists several fishing communities along the North Shore, including Newburyport. "Fishermen have complained that they do not agree with the data and the data that was used was not the best available."
"I think it's important that we convince them [fishermen] that we are interested in getting the right science, in getting the right facts," Tierney said in an interview Wednesday. "And that we only make rules that are based on the correct facts."
The congressman said he and Frank would address fishermen's concerns and questions at the ninth annual Gloucester Fisheries Forum.
Tierney called for further action on the matter. "We want a federal and complete investigation as quickly as possible," he said.
"This letter underscores the critical importance of fostering partnerships with industry, the states and academic institutions in order to ensure that fisheries management decisions are based upon the best science available," Kerry said in a statement Wednesday.
As of Thursday afternoon, a Commerce Department spokesperson was not prepared to make a public statement until Secretary Evans had responded directly to the legislators.
The lawmakers say they will ask for an extension of next August's deadline if new, accurate data are not collected in time.
Meanwhile, the NMFS has begun towing gear off the Albatross IV at various depths. They hope to observe net performance by using video equipment and sensors to see how incorrect calibrations might skew fish stock data. Additional work will be conducted from Oct. 15-Oct. 25 to further document gear performance.
Teri Frady, chief of research communications at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, said Thursday she could not yet comment on any results from the new tests.
"It will take time to reliably document how the gear performed and how that might have influenced catch," a NOAA statement said.
Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., the Commerce Undersecretary of for Oceans and Atmosphere, ordered that results be made available to affected fishery councils within 60 days. Following these results, NOAA will convene an independent panel to revise trawl survey procedures and recommend methods for improving collection methods.
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
