THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 26, 1996 TAG: 9603260357
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
In an effort to see that fisheries grant money goes to fishermen, the General Assembly's Seafood and Aquaculture Committee will discuss legislation today that would remove the entire $1 million program from the state's Division of Marine Fisheries.
Marine Fisheries has administered the fisheries grant program for the past two years. And the Marine Fisheries Commission has awarded the funds.
But under the proposal, North Carolina Sea Grant would begin overseeing the program for 1997. Sea Grant employees would review all grant applications and recommend which ones should receive monetary awards. The Marine Fisheries Commission, however, would continue to make the final votes about which grant proposals receive funding.
``That bill will be discussed tomorrow,'' Brett Kinsella, a spokesman for state Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, said Monday afternoon. ``Marc won't sponsor it. He doesn't usually back bills as president of the Senate. But it is an offshoot of how things were handled with this year's grant awards.
``A lot of people were concerned about the way that program was run,'' said Kinsella. ``Marc has a real interest in seeing this move discussed.''
When Basnight set up the fisheries grant program, he said he wanted the money to go to watermen and recreational anglers so they could study ways to improve marine resources for everyone. This month, however, the Marine Fisheries Commission allocated much of the $1 million to academic institutions, research organizations and environmental groups instead. Less than one-third of the taxpayers' funds were given to fishermen or fishing groups.
Basnight said that was never what he intended - and promised to look into transferring the program to Sea Grant.
A subsidiary of a national network of college programs supported by funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, North Carolina Sea Grant is based at North Carolina State University and is set up to help fishermen and fisheries resources. In 1994, Sea Grant representatives conducted workshops throughout the coast to help fishermen apply for the research grants.
This year, however, no workshops were conducted. Watermen had to write their own grant proposals. And their ideas and applications had to compete against those submitted by academic professors, biologists and even a national biological research group.
``We were all set to conduct the workshops again this year,'' Sea Grant spokesman B.J. Copeland said. ``But Joe Clem, who oversaw the Marine Fisheries Commission's grant selection subcommittee, told us not to do 'em. He said they were useless - and a waste of time and money.
``We ought to help the fishermen get more involved in the grant applications. And we need to get on with it,'' Copeland said Monday. ``If we administer that program, we will conduct those workshops for the fishermen.''
Also Monday, the state environment department said Jess Hawkins - acting section chief of the Division of Marine Fisheries - has removed himself from consideration for the division's new deputy director position.
``Jess has decided he doesn't want that post any more, all things considered,'' said Debbie Crane, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources. ``Given the monetary situation, he's pulled out of it. We're now shooting to hire somebody in the mid-$50,000 range.''
Last Wednesday, Marine Fisheries Director Bruce Freeman offered Hawkins the permanent deputy director post, and a $23,729 raise. But Freeman had never received approval from the state personnel department to offer Hawkins either.
In fact, the personnel department never would have approved that raise because it was way above state standards, Crane said this weekend.
The biggest annual salary increase Hawkins could have gotten was $3,950. He currently earns $42,295. If the raise Freeman promised had panned out, Hawkins would have gotten $63,231 per year.
Department officials will continue their search for a new deputy director by reviewing the applications they already have received, state spokesmen said. Hawkins, who will continue working as the Division of Marine Fisheries' acting section chief, said he is disappointed with the turn of events. Freeman said he's sorry the misunderstanding occurred. ILLUSTRATION: B\W photo
Marc Basnight
KEYWORDS: FISHING INDUSTRY NORTH CAROLINA GRANT by CNB