Frank and other members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation need to demand that Locke and top fishing regulators appear before Congress in hearings that will force them to, under oath, defend policies that are putting fishermen out of business and driving small businesses right into the bottom of the ocean.
It may bring some measure of visceral satisfaction for fishermen in Gloucester, New Bedford and across New England to hear Congressman Barney Frank give U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke a verbal pummeling for Locke's refusal to relax draconian federal catch limits.
Frank, in an interview on WBSM AM 1420 in New Bedford, accused Locke of not having the courage to stand up to his subordinates. And, pathetic as it sounds, that clearly seems true.
But at this point, it's also clear that a public scolding isn't going to change anything. It is not going to save the job of a single fisherman.
Simply put, Frank and other members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation need to demonstrate some courage themselves, and demand that Locke and top fishing regulators appear before Congress in hearings that will force them to, under oath, defend policies that are putting fishermen out of business and driving small businesses right into the bottom of the ocean.
Read the complete editorial from The Gloucester Times.
Listen to Barney Frank's interview on the Saving Seafood Hour on WBSM.