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This year, we have
witnessed a devastating outbreak of red tide that
threatens Maine’s coastal communities and economies.
The current red tide outbreak is the most serious in
recent memory and definitely the worst since at
least 1972. Unfortunately for some Maine
shellfishermen, the infestation comes at the peak of
shellfishing season and the beginning of tourist
season.
It is extremely
important to note that not all shellfish beds in
Maine are contaminated and that the clams and
oysters on the market arte safe to eat. Also,
although red tide makes shellfish unsafe for animals
and humans to eat, swimmers, fish, lobsters and
shrimp are not affected. Scallops are also not
affected because people don't eat the part that
absorbs the poison.
The term “red tide”
refers to a single-celled alga called Alexandrium
that blooms and causes the water to turn a
reddish-brown rust color when concentrated in one
place. These algae contain potentially lethal toxins
that are transferred to humans by the ingestion of
shellfish that have filtered the organisms into
their systems. Although the shellfish are not
harmed, they become potentially deadly to humans if
consumed. The toxin affects humans by paralyzing the
central nervous system. If ingested by people, the
toxin can sever illness and can be fatal if the
level of toxins is high.
Red tide is a regular
summertime phenomenon and Maine has historically had
high levels of it during the warmer periods of the
year. Every spring, warm water and sunlight cause
the explosive growth of the local Alexandrium algae
in the Gulf of Maine. Scientists attribute this
year's massive outbreak to two factors: a wet winter
and spring that infused large amounts of freshwater
into the Gulf of Maine, which fostered the algae's
germination and strong east and northeast winds,
including several big storms, which blew the algae
cloud south toward the relatively warm waters of the
main offshore digging banks instead of out to sea.
Maine’s
shellfish industry is a critical part of Maine’s
economy, accounting for approximately $75 million
annually in the state’s economy. The fishermen who
rely on this natural resource depend heavily on the
summer season to make the majority of their
livelihood. It can take several weeks for the
shellfish to rid themselves of this organism once
the red tide is gone, but added to the length of
time the red tide may exist in the water, this
unknown period of time will create a disaster for
the shellfish industry if it cannot operate. As a
result, those individuals and businesses that make
their living from the shellfish industry are in
grave danger of serious economic harm.
As a result of the red
tide thousands of small businesses have suffered
financially: clammers, oystermen, restaurants,
processing plants, and shipping companies, among
others. The disaster is worst for clammers and
oystermen, because customers will not buy their
shellfish even if the particular shellfish are
healthy; the news of the blight has caused purchases
of even healthy shellfish to fall drastically. These
businesses are losing up to 100 percent of their
incomes.
To address
this dire situation, I, along with the rest of the
Maine delegation, asked the Department of Homeland
Security for assistance in exploring the possibility
of qualifying the current red tide outbreak as a
natural disaster, which could lead to a formal
disaster declaration. Together we also sent a letter
to Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez appealing
for aid to Maine shellfish fisherman. As Chair of
the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Fisheries and
Coast Guard, I requested a briefing from the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
on the red tide outbreak. Finally, as Chair of the
Senate Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship, I asked Small Business
Administration (SBA) Administrator Hector Barreto to
declare that a disaster has occurred in Maine’s
shellfish industry, and that he direct the Small
Business Administration to immediately begin making
loans available under the Federal Disaster Loan
Program to Mainers who have suffered economic
injuries from this disaster.
As a result of our
efforts, Secretary Gutierrez declared a commercial
fishery failure in the Maine shellfish fishery due
to the current red tide outbreak. Assistance
available through NOAA for fisheries declared
“commercial fisheries failures” includes grants to
states that could be used for compensation for lost
fishing time and lost equipment, “buy back” of
vessels and equipment, job retraining and incentives
for economic diversification.
Also as a
result of our efforts, NOAA agreed to hold a
briefing where they will explain the ecological and
economic ramifications of the red tide, offer a
forecast as to how long this condition will persist,
outline what they are doing to work with states and
pursue a coordinated response, what federal programs
are available to help, and what federal legislation
is needed to authorize assistance.
Finally, the SBA
announced a disaster declaration for those counties
in Maine that have suffered because of the recent
red tide outbreak. The declaration means that Maine
business owners who have suffered economic injuries
from the disaster can receive loans under the
Federal Disaster Loan Program.
Currently, unlike
other small businesses (and unlike small fishing
businesses), small aquaculture businesses are not
eligible to receive SBA Disaster Loans, because they
are only eligible for loans from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA). The SBA can loan money to
fishermen who fish for cod or shrimp, but it cannot
issue loans to oystermen and clammers who want to
use the proceeds of the loans to replenish their
shellfish beds, because under current Federal law
those uses are classified as "aquaculture", and not
able to receive loans from the SBA. Clearly this
places clam and oyster businesses in an unfair
position, so I introduced legislation that would
allow those small businesses to receive those
Disaster Loans. This legislation was passed in the
Senate by unanimous consent on June 27th
and I urge the House of Representatives to quickly
enact similar legislation to bring relief to small
businesses crippled by this disaster.
As we enjoy the long
and warm Maine summer days, we must remember that
not every clam bed in Maine has been affected by the
red tide. The shellfish industry is central to the
economic success of Maine and it would be wrong to
assume that all shellfish in Maine are now off
limits. Mainers can rest assured that its
congressional delegation is doing everything within
its power to ameliorate and resolve this problem as
quickly as possible.
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