The new decision will allow scallop fishermen to catch about seven million more pounds of scallops a year than what the November decision called for – a catch ultimately worth an estimated $250 million to New Bedford, according to Mayor Scott Lang.
"The council was a little too cautious back in November,'' Lang said in a telephone interview from the New Hampshire meeting. 'What they did today is have a full debate and went with a more moderate option. It won't result in overfishing, it won't go toward an edge, its merely the middle ground."
Some environmental groups however, decried the decision, saying the council put short-term profits ahead of the long-term health of the scallop fishery.
"Politics clearly triumphed over sound science today," said Dave Allison, senior campaign director at Oceana. "This is a perfect example of how politics can interfere with the Council’s responsibility and authority as an ‘advisor to NOAA’ to manage fishery resources."