Scallopers all along the New England and Middle Atlantic coasts achieved a landmark victory yesterday when the federal regional fishery managers reversed an earlier vote and approved a new 2010 catch plan that can yield an estimated $41 million at the dock and multiples of that to port economies.
"The key thing was the groundfishermen said they would work with the scallopers to make this happen," said Rich Canastra, an owner of the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction.
"We don't want yellowtail to trip a $40 million loss in scallops," Vito Giacalone, the Gloucester industry analyst and informal spokesman for the groundfishing fleet, told the council.
In the hours before the final vote, groundfishing interests from Maine and around to the southern New England coast centered Point Judith, R.I., let the councilors know they were good with the concession to the scallopers.
The decision by Pappalardo to allow the council to vote on redoing their November action on scallops was induced by a degree and style of pressure that stuck uncomfortably in the craw of a number of members, and left others to ponder how and where trust was lost.