They mayors' letters just ask Lubchenco to do one thing; to abide by a key provision of the federal Magnuson-Stevens Act, something that she and other NOAA officials conveniently ignore. That is the law's "National Standard No. 8.
So far, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Luchenco has dismissed — virtually ignored — calls from two congressional subcommittees, a growing number of U.S. House representatives, and even one of her staunchest backers, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, to oust the head of her thuggish NOAA Office of Law Enforcement.
So there's no reason to think she'll suddenly recognize any need for accountability and pay any mind to two important and well-crafted letters sent to her last week by Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk and New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang.
But beyond Kirk's call for relief from extremely tight catch limits given fishermen by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, and Lang's noting that NOAA officials themselves have said the landmark conversion to a catch share format remains "a work in progress" just five weeks before it begins sending many New England fishermen to the unemployment lines, the mayors' letters really just ask Lubchenco to do one thing.
They call for her to abide by a key provision of the federal Magnuson-Stevens Act, something that she and other NOAA officials conveniently ignore.
That is the law's "National Standard No. 8," which requires regulators to "take into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities …" And to say that Lubchenco has ignored that federal regulatory standard to date is merely stating the obvious.
Read the complete editorial at The Gloucester Daily Times.