State legislators and members of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association gathered at the State House on Wednesday to voice concerns about new regulations banning the use of lobster trap and pot gear from Jan. 1 to April 30 off much of the state’s coast. “It seems the new regulations are quite draconian and are being proposed without a corresponding public policy based on facts,” Read more here 12:35
NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?
While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here
“Part of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s new Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, the new rules aim to eliminate endangered right, humpback and fin whale entanglements with lobster gear as required by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.”
Very nice, and how do you square all that with the fish and mammal devastating seismic blasting the oil companies have scheduled for the waters off N.J. and VA, and now apparently R.I. as well.
‘Splain that one to your concerned public, NMFS ALWTRP!