Check this article on seafood.com about the mass, fisherman getting fed aid because the fishing season has been reduced DUE to Overfishing! This truely SUCKS, we should all sign up for aid, due to Gov Gridlocke and cronies reducing my recreational assets by reducing my rec time on the water! What a bunch of crap, when i was in business they didn't bail me out when i had tough times

Here is the article

Massachusetts Mailing out Checks for $5.4 million in aid to fishermen today

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company The Boston Globe ] May 2, 2003 - Beginning today, the state's Division of Marine Fisheries will begin mailing out $5.4 million in emergency aid to more than 600 Massachusetts fishermen, including 160 boat owners in Gloucester.
The funding, which was approved by Congress last year, is expected to offset the loss of income incurred by local cod, flounder, and haddock fishermen after new federal regulations placed tough restrictions on the amount of days they could work. US Court Judge Gladys Kessler reduced ground fishermen's days at sea by 20 percent. Other boat owners lost even more days when the judge ruled that fishermen who had purchased used boats would have to abide by the fishing history of the previous owner.
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Interesting article.

Now if we can get Fed Aid for Commercial Salmon Fisherman I am all for it. By that I mean fully subsidize them and pay them to stay the heck off the water.

It would be nice to get them commercial boats off the water.

Aunty

Funding for retraining is even a better idea. I was thinking along the lines of how we pay farmers not to grow a certain crop. Retraining is better

this has been going on for some time now most people just don't know about it and yes it occurs in the state of washington as well

they also had a buy back program where they purchased boats and licenses from the owners another nice option . at least this benefits others by taking them off the water

As a contractor , no federal agency ever came gave me money because there was no work, or that there was a downturn in the economy. let them prosper or perish just like the rest of us.They are organized i will give them that, just feel the pain of how they have been sticking it to us for sooo long!

any aid should be for transition out of the industry such as education grants or retraining for other industries. no direct aid should be given to fishermen who will just continue to fish. they should sleep in their own bed. but aid should be given to help transition the industry because society needs to recognise the cost of overfishing as well from the general tax funds of the people that ate all those fish.