Daily Archives: December 25, 2012
Fishermen could use a little extra under the tree – Steve Urbon
I have never seen former New Bedford Mayor John Bullard look so downcast as he did last Thursday at the special meeting of the New England Fisheries Management council in Wakefield. Bullard, who now heads NOAA fisheries in the Northeast, was trying to break the news gently that what the council is about to do with quota allocations wasn’t going to be easy. Someone in the room full of 150 people, mostly fishermen and their families, had asked him to “do the right thing” when it comes to issuing allocations. “Doing the right thing is going to be very, very hard,” Bullard said repeatedly speaking slowly in a low voice. He didn’t get specific, but everyone in the room knew what he meant: This wasn’t going to be pretty. Peter Shelley, senior attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation, made it clear what he and other environmentalist groups were expecting from the council: “You all swore an oath to uphold the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” he reminded them darkly before sitting back down to a chorus of boos and hisses. Shelley apparently didn’t have it in him to acknowledge what the fishermen were telling the council: After following the council’s draconian rules for years in order to rebuild the fishery, they were being repaid by being forced out of business.
Year after year, fishermen are asked to follow rules that boggle the mind and empty the treasury. Any reporter covering fisheries management will tell you it is one of the most impenetrable briar patches of science, politics and bureaucracy that can be imagined. Read More
What’s next? NOAA warns large ships to avoid Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
PORT ANGELES — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking ships of 400 gross tons or greater to stay farther away voluntarily from part of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary when traveling along the coast to protect the area from possible oil spills. Read More
Gloucester Va. harbor targeted for preservation
Gloucester is “no different than other coastal communities where watermen are forced to move from the coast or are restricted from using traditional access points, causing them to struggle to sustain their ” Lawrence said. “With limited space and limited sites available for mooring their boats, and with limited safe infrastructure where they can conduct business, watermen desperately need new solutions.” Read More
New Jersey’s Congressmen push for fishing industry disaster relief
“New Jersey’s fishing industry is one of the drivers of our regional economy and a staple in coastal communities,” the congressmen wrote. “The fishing industry impacts a wide swath of New Jersey’s economy and includes not only fishermen, but processors, boat builders, bait and tackle shops, marinas, distributors, and tourism thanks to New Jersey’s vast charter boat operations.” Read More
