NEW BEDFORD, Mass., — June 1, 2013 — For the second time this week, NOAA has been sued — this time twice — by two environmental groups troubled by relaxation of fishing rules aimed at helping fishermen struggling under severe groundfish catch limits.
In U.S. District Court suits filed in Washington, D.C., the Conservation Law Foundation and Earthjustice maintain that the National Marine Fisheries Service went too far when fishery regulators approved both the reopening of two closed groundfish conservation areas and the carryover of some unused catch permits to ease the effect of sharp cutbacks in quota for cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder.
The environmental groups had registered their complaints about the closed areas during meetings of the New England Fishery Management Council earlier this year.
Later, NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator John Bullard announced the permit carry-over change with little or no vocal opposition.
Peter Shelley, senior counsel of the CLF, said Friday that "Managers should be acting conservatively to steward the remaining fish and the places they have retreated to, not making them more available to the fishing fleet.
"Opening up protected areas will not magically create new fish."
Shelley echoed some of his own comments during hearings on the closed areas. "Fishing on cod should be closed down, not expanded into new areas," he said. "The failure of the federal government to adequately respond to this crisis is going to start rippling through all the fisheries, even the healthy ones."
The lawsuits did not, however, challenge NOAA's decision to keep the cod, haddock and yellowtail fishery in operation, although at a sharply reduced level. The idea of closing down entirely was briefly discussed at meetings, mostly out of anger and frustration among fishermen.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times