PORTLAND (AP) – Sen. Susan Collins on Thursday successfully stalled funding to implement harsh fishing regulations in New England before announcing that she had lifted her objections to the proposal.

Collins’ amendment to delay funding for fishing regulations that go into effect May 1 was attached to a $373 billion appropriations bill.

Afterward, she said she was lifting her objections to the new fishing rules known as Amendment 13 because regulators were addressing her concerns.

The strict regulations, which further reduce the number of days at sea for fishermen, will hit all New England fishermen hard. But the hardest hit may be those in Maine, who say many of their allotted days at sea would be wasted in transit to prime fishing grounds off Massachusetts.

Collins, R-Maine, said the New England Fishery Management Council had agreed to take another look at that and other contentious issues.

“I believed a pause in this process was necessary because Amendment 13 contained far too many inequities that unfairly discriminate against Maine fishermen. Fortunately, considerable progress has been made over the past few weeks to address these inequities,” she said.

Collins said she will find a way to lift the funding restrictions in the bill that received final approval on a 65-28 vote in the Senate.

But she said that her efforts are contingent upon further progress by regulators and the conservation community.

in addressing problems raised by Maine fishermen.

The council already has agreed to look at the issue of time spent by boats en route to prime fishing grounds and to provide some fishing days for those entirely shut out of the process, said Maggie Raymond of Associated Fisheries of Maine, which represents 35 fishing boats.

The council also is looking at other healthy species that could be targeted if fishermen can figure out a way to avoid harming depleted species.

Those healthy species include haddock and yellowtail flounder at Georges Bank and redfish, haddock and pollock in the Gulf of Maine, Raymond said.

Despite the willingness of the council to work with the industry, it’s still a bitter pill for fishermen. Those who fish exclusively for groundfish like cod may see a 35 percent reduction in revenue, Raymond said.

“This is going to be a very difficult plan for fishermen to survive, and the only way people might survive is if the council addresses these concerns that the senator has identified quickly,” she said.

David Borden, chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council, said he was happy that Collins responded to his request to lift the funding restrictions. He said he was confident the council could address her concerns.

“The council intends to follow through on the issues that she has addressed. These are important issues to Maine fishermen and she made her point,” he said from his office in Rhode Island, where he is director of natural resources.

Collins’ announcement drew a sigh of relief from many fishermen who applauded her efforts but feared unintended consequences of her actions.

They feared that the fishing cuts would be made retroactively after the funding cuts expired with the next budget cycle in October. “It could have a lot of unintended results,” said Vito Giacalone, a fisherman in Gloucester, Mass.

AP-ES-01-22-04 1802EST