Citing shellfishing area closures this year due to red tide, Governor Deval Patrick has asked the federal government to declare a commercial fishery failure, an action that would make the industry eligible for disaster assistance funds.
Aid is needed to "help sustain shellfish fishing and prevent a local collapse of the industry," Patrick said in a letter to US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. He estimated that the closures had caused hardship for about 1,100 commercial shellfishermen, and 35 fish farmers in 11 coastal communities."
