BOSTON — "My continued concern about this is there's only one source of truth," Baker said Tuesday. "And it's NOAA. There is no other source of truth."
Questioning the federal estimates used to essentially ban commercial cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine, Governor-elect Charlie Baker said it is time for other scientists to have a say.
Baker and Senate minority leader Bruce Tarr, who represents Gloucester, said Massachusetts must do its own analysis of what is happening with the cod population in the waters off its shores instead of relying solely on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"My continued concern about this is there's only one source of truth," Baker said Tuesday. "And it's NOAA. There is no other source of truth."
The state must tap into such brain trusts as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, MIT, and marine fisheries on Cape Cod, Baker said.
"And if it turns out that NOAA's right, then NOAA's right," he said.
NOAA said this week that the new restrictions, which expand the areas where commercial cod fishing is already banned, are necessary to halt dramatic declines in the region's iconic species.
Baker and Tarr had an "intense" discussion on Monday about how the federal ban will affect one of the state's oldest industries and plan to continue the conversation, both men said.
"We need a multifaceted approach here," Tarr said Tuesday. "We need to understand the science better. We need to have a much better grasp of what's going on, but right now we're facing an immediate crisis."
Tarr said the first step is exploring "every possibility of financial assistance for folks who aren't going to be able to catch fish."
The second, he said, is to "explore every option for regulatory flexibility."
Read the full story at the Boston Globe