WASHINGTON, DC -- After NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced last week that high fuel costs would force the agency to cancel a critical survey of surf clams and ocean quahogs for the first time in over 25 years, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that NOAA would reverse course and fund the vital research programs that impact fishermen and fisheries in Rhode Island and throughout New England.

Earlier this week, Senator Reed contacted NOAA Undersecretary Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. to express his opposition to the cancelation of the survey. Today, NOAA informed Reed that it has reallocated resources and is committed to funding the surf clam and ocean quahog survey that was scheduled to begin this month.

"Clams and quahogs play an important role in Rhode Island's economy and this study plays an important role in determining how much Rhode Island fishermen can haul in. This research also provides vital environmental information that is used to monitor the health of our waters and sustain the fish population," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, which oversees funding for NOAA. "The data generated by this survey is critical to Rhode Island fishermen. Canceling this study would have placed a real burden on our shellfishermen and the local economy. I am pleased that Admiral Lautenbacher changed course and helped right the ship."

The Atlantic clam survey, which has been conducted on a three-year cycle since 1978, is critical to establishing stock levels of surf clams and quahogs. The observational data developed by the survey forms the basis for setting quotas for the allowable catch. Without this data, NOAA would have to extrapolate clam populations based on less accurate information, which could underestimate actual populations and result in a 20% to 30% reduction in the allowable catch.

"I recognize the strain that today's high fuel costs are placing on NOAA's scientific missions. Indeed, those high costs are being borne by fishermen in Rhode Island and throughout the country. At the same time, it is critical for NOAA to recognize the significance of the Atlantic surf clam and ocean quahog survey to fishing communities in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. I am pleased they reconsidered and will now go forward with this important study," concluded Reed.