June 20, 2014 — Through the implementation of a six-pronged plan it has been intended to revive the US Northeast's struggling groundfish fishery and to expand the New Bedford port's overall functionality.
The programme, called "Groundfish Port Recovery and Revitalization Plan for the Port of New Bedford and Fairhaven," was designed by the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission (HDC) to improve fisheries by applying similar video survey technology as that which helped revive the region's now-successful scallop fishery.
HDC considers the plan presents a counterpoint to NOAA's recently released Fisheries Economics of the US 2012 report and that coupled with help from local leaders and academics, signifies a collaborative and proactive effort to reinvigorate the northeast groundfish fishery and solidify the port's sustainable future.
"In the nineteenth century, New Bedford became the center of American whaling and today it remains one of the most important ports in the world," said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell.
And he added: "New Bedford is the nation's number one fishing port, and we intend to keep it that way for the next hundred years. We're the best, and we're going to stay the best. To do that, we need the best science in stock surveys and assessments–that is critical for both scallops and groundfish."
Meanwhile, State Senator Mark Montigny, who considered “poorly-implemented federal regulations” have failed to protect their ecosystems, congratulated Dan Georgianna and his colleagues at the School for Marine Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth on compiling this report.
The Plan calls for the expanded use of video survey technology in groundfish assessments to more accurately measure the abundance of key groundfish stocks, like yellowtail flounder, whose population is presently estimated by conventional techniques to be low.
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