Appealing Judge Zobel's ruling may have merit. But in pressing for a full regulatory investigation, the lawsuit plaintiffs are asking federal investigators to truly get to the bottom of a NOAA regulatory system that is driving fishermen and American small businesses right out of the industry. That probe, long overdue, is precisely what we need.
It's not surprising to hear that the plaintiffs challenging the federal government's imposition of an unwanted and unnecessary catch share fishery management system will file a notice of appeal, as New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang, speaking on behalf of Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk and others — indicated Friday.
Indeed, U.S. District Court Judge Rya Zobel's ruling — based in part on the notion that, if the Cape Cod Hook Fishermen's Association had not gotten its added location at the expense of fishermen in the new catch-share sectors, it might have destabilized their business plan — seems to raise as many questions as it answers.
In that instance, for example, we would ask, what about the "stability" of the many small independent fishing businesses that were already struggling with overly tight government catch limits and are now being forced right out of the industry under the new system? And what about the fact that the Cape Cod "Hookers," as they call themselves, admittedly didn't even make use of the added quota, instead leasing it often to large-scale fishing businesses that could pay them an estimated $1.5 million or more, based on landing prices.
Read the complete editorial from The Gloucester Times.