Boston, – U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke told New England fishing representatives Monday that he was committed to ending overzealous or abusive enforcement of fishing rules and to helping the industry find ways to become more efficient and profitable.
While stopping short of offering fishermen an apology for questionable penalties identified in a recent federal report as having been assessed by investigators of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Locke said fair and effective enforcement was critical to the management of the nation's fisheries.
"The problems identified by the inspector general are simply unacceptable, and they were allowed to persist for too long," said Locke, whose cabinet department oversees NOAA. "Some of those complaints actually dated back to 2001."
He vowed: "Those problems will end on my watch."
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