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March 11, 2009
State’s revenue shortfall will affect coastal fisheries projects
By SUSAN WEST
A ballooning revenue shortfall is stalling some state coastal fisheries projects and scaling-back others.
Purchase of waterfront property at the Manns Harbor Bridge has been
placed on hold, according to Lisa Schell, spokesperson for the state
Clean Water Management Trust Fund.
Trust fund officers agreed in August to contribute $1.3 million towards
the $6.3 million project that would provide access to the Croatan Sound
for commercial and recreational fishermen and boaters.
But Schell said all grant awards without signed sales contracts have
been placed on hold since February 25 when Gov. Beverly Perdue
transferred $100 million from Clean Water to the General Fund.
That money and $200 million more from other special funds, including
the education lottery fund, will be held in reserve to help cover
outstanding obligations for the fiscal year ending June
30.
The state budget office is considering cutting funds for the Fishery Resource Grant Program.
Established in 1994 by the state legislature, the $1 million program is
administered by North Carolina Sea Grant and supports collaborative
research between fishermen and universities in fisheries data
collection, bycatch reduction, seafood technology, and aquaculture.
Funding for the program could be reduced to about $216,000.
The state is preparing for a revenue shortfall of more than $2 billion
this year, and could see a shortfall pushing $4 billion for the fiscal
year starting July 1, according to some analysts.
With the economy sliding downwards faster than expected, Perdue
directed most state agencies to revise 7 percent budget reductions to 9
percent.
Louis Daniel, chief of the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), said not
filling vacant staff positions is the backbone in cuts to his
agency’s budget.
“But, we’re streamlining all operations and have made
across the board cuts for things like travel and meetings,” he
said.
DMF is using teleconferencing more often, and has reduced the number of Marine Fisheries Commission meetings to 4 this year.
“The task is to make sure statutorily required programs, like law
enforcement, fishery management plans, permits, and licenses, have
priority,” he said.
There will be changes in some popular sportfishing programs. The
citation program is going electronic, and DMF staff will be
weigh-masters at fewer fishing tournaments.
“The reductions have to be structured so that the resource
doesn’t suffer and that the quality of the data and science we
use isn’t diminished,” Daniel said.
On the federal level, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
provides $830 million in funds to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), the parent agency of the National Marine
Fisheries Service. A total of $230 million will go towards
habitat restoration, navigation projects, vessel maintenance, and other
projects, while the remaining money will fund weather forecasting and
satellite development, climate modeling, and other projects.
David Miller, NOAA senior public affairs officer, said the agency would
have a detailed spending plan completed within the next several weeks.
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