October 7, 2011 – At a packed hearing at the Boston statehouse on Monday, legislators hammered NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco for her department’s administration of the region’s new catch shares fisheries management system. It has been a year since the new quota-based system has been in place and Ms. Lubchenco, the ex-officio head of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), touted the progress of the region’s long-suffering fisheries to an unsympathetic congressional panel.
“We are finally on track to end overfishing,” she told the panel of congressmen that included Massachusetts Sens. John Kerry, Scott Brown and Alaska Sen. Mark Begich as well as Massachusetts Reps. William Keating, Barney Frank and John Tierney.
“Stocks are being rebuilt and catch limits are up,” Ms. Lubchenco said. “In addition revenues are up for some but not all the fishermen. Fishermen are fishing more selectively, benefiting their bottom line and the vulnerable stocks. I believe that in fact we are making progress but not enough.”
Read the complete story from The Vineyard Gazette.