Digital Extra

"I have four children," said Braman, an independent lobster fisherman from Middletown. "As of now, I am out of work. By tomorrow night, I may be out of business."

Braman has between 400 and 500 traps still in the water in areas restricted because of the North Cape barge catastrophe. And he fears for his stranded gear's safety in the rough seas predicted for this weekend.

"I need an answer on when I can go back to work, when I can salvage what's left after the storm," he told the panel.

Braman was one of about 50 lobster fishermen and members of the seafood industry who showed up at a meeting organized by Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy Friday afternoon.

The gathering brought together representatives of organizations ranging from the Coast Guard and the Department of Environmental Management to the Rhode Island Seafood Council and the Newport Chamber of Commerce.

The general message from the officials, who mingled with fishermen in baseball caps with lobster appliques and shirts in varying degrees of plaid, was, "Everything's going to be fine. We're just not quite sure when."

The anxious shellfishermen raised a forest of hands the moment questions from the audience were allowed.

Peter Wiswell, who represented the insurance adjuster for barge owner Eklof Marine, fielded a barrage of queries about what he would -- and somewhat more poignantly, what he could -- do for those who are effectively docked.

"How in the world do you assess what the effect is going to be?" said Robert Smith, president of the Rhode Island Lobstermen's Association. "Everything I've heard is that there's going to be a lot of relief coming. . . . but to put a man's back against the wall? You see what I'm saying? Just use your own example. How many weeks can you go without pay? Think about it."

Wiswell noted that Eklof has already bought up tens of thousands of pounds of lobsters from fishermen and is still buying.

The fishermen were told that the state Economic Development Corporation will soon have its hands on a $600,000 federal check. The disbursement is earmarked for the Revolving Loan Fund, an emergency source of cash to tide over those out of work. Inspections and economic injury assistance applications are also being made available.

But a representative from the Department of Employment and Training confirmed a fear: that most independent fishermen and members of crews smaller than 10 people are generally not eligible for unemployment. She encouraged the men to apply anyway, because the application might show "someone else who might give you assistance that you applied."

There were lengthy discussions of the "one-stop center" in South Kingstown, where fishermen can file claims, ask questions and even make arrangements with a food bank for assistance.

Still, lobsterman Smith urged the officials to move quickly.

"I tell you, we've got to cut the red tape to try to help these guys," he said. "We're proud fishermen. We like our business and we'd just as soon work. We didn't ask this oil to come here."