SENS. SNOWE, COLLINS, REPS ALLEN, MICHAUD APPLAUD RED TIDE DISASTER DECLARATION BY COMMERCE DEPARTMENT FOR MAINE SHELLFISH FISHERY

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan M. Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Representatives Tom Allen (D-ME) and Mike Michaud (D-ME) today praised Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez for today declaring a disaster in the Maine shellfish fishery due to the current red tide outbreak.

"This year's devastating red tide has left many in the shellfish industry unable to work, and every day it persists worsens their plight," Senators Snowe and Collins and Representatives Allen and Michaud said in a joint statement. "We are pleased that the Commerce Department recognizes the urgency of the situation and have taken the first step toward providing desperately needed relief."

On June 17th, Senators Snowe and Collins and Representatives Allen and Michaud sent a letter to Secretary Gutierrez appealing for aid to Maine shellfish fishermen under Section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and Section 308(b) of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act. Assistance available through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for fisheries declared "commercial fisheries disasters" includes compensation for lost fishing time and lost equipment, "buy back" of vessels and equipment, job retraining and incentives for economic diversification.