After political pressure from Gov. Deval Patrick, the council overseeing the region's fishermen in federal waters will reconsider new restrictions on the scallop fleet.
The controversial issue has its roots in a November vote by the New England Fishery Management Council to cut the days many scallop fishermen can fish from about 37 to 29 and reduce the number of scallop trips into certain areas. The move was done in large part because the fleet caught more scallops than expected in 2008 and 2009 and they were at or approaching the federal definition of overfishing. Conservation was needed to ensure the stock would be robust in the future, according to a rationale released by the council earlier this week.
Yet the change meant a steep 2010 economic hit to scallopers – a story in the New Bedford Standard Times today says it would be $250,000 to $300,000 per boat, about a quarter of their yearly income.
Read the Boston Globe story in full