PORTLAND – Sen. Susan Collins on Thursday successfully stalled funding to implement harsh fishing regulations in New England before announcing that she had lifted her objections to the proposal.
Collins’ amendment to delay funding for fishing regulations that go into effect May 1 was attached to a $373 billion appropriations bill.
Afterward, she said she was lifting her objections to the new fishing rules known as Amendment 13 because regulators were addressing her concerns.
The strict regulations, which further reduce the number of days at sea for fishermen, will hit all New England fishermen hard. But the hardest hit may be those in Maine, who say many of their allotted days at sea would be wasted in transit to prime fishing grounds off Massachusetts.
Collins said the New England Fishery Management Council had agreed to take another look at that and other contentious issues.
Collins said she would find a way to lift the funding restrictions in the bill that received final approval on a 65-28 vote in the Senate.
But she said that her efforts are contingent upon further progress by regulators and the conservation community in addressing problems raised by Maine fishermen.
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