BOSTON (AP) — May 17, 2013 — The top regulators of New England’s sagging fishing industry have asked fishermen not to take out their frustrations on the onboard catch observers who monitor what they pull up or throw back.
The request came in an open letter to fishing permit holders Thursday, a little over two weeks into a fishing year that saw the fleet take painful cuts in catch limits.
Observers have reported increased verbal abuse in recent months and the letter is a reminder that such anger is misdirected, said Rip Cunningham, chair of the New England Fishery Management Council and one of the five signees of the letter.
‘‘I think you can look at what’s happened in New England — with some of the really serious fisheries issues — some of the folks are, you know, quite frustrated, and sometimes that frustration gets taken out on whatever the nearest person is,’’ he said.
The program is expensive, with fishermen often noting the cost of observers is sometimes more than their profit per trip. But Cunningham noted the observers are employed by private contractors and get just a portion of the costs. In addition, the government has paid for the observers since 2010, and will cover the projected $6.7 million cost this year.
The observers are often recent college graduates with a concentration in biology and can be green at sea in more ways than one, as stories about seasickness are common.
Gloucester fishermen Joe Orlando, a 40-year veteran, said he doesn’t mind taking out observers, as long as the government pays, because he can’t afford it. He said it frustrates him that a kid who knows almost nothing about a fishing boat can climb on his and declare it unsafe.
Orlando said he hasn’t heard about increasing confrontations between observers, captains or crew, but understands why they encounter resentment among fishermen facing ruin.
‘‘You've got to understand something, we’re all out of a job,’’ Orlando said. ‘‘But they still got a job.’’
Read the full story by Jay Lindsay from the Associated Press at The Boston Globe