Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) stood alongside fishermen at a press conference in Gloucester—home of the oldest fishing port in America— and called on President Obama to fire Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Senator Brown issued the following statement after the press conference: “With job losses accelerating, time is running out for our fishing communities and Washington is too out of touch to notice. Not only has Administrator Lubchenco failed to help our fishing industry, she has made it worse.
“Just a few weeks ago, Administrator Lubchenco told us at a hearing in Boston that the fishing industry is on the rebound. That incredible statement demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the situation in Gloucester, New Bedford, and across New England. I hoped that she would stick around to get the real facts from the fishermen and scientists assembled to testify after her. Instead, she left early.
“The stonewalling of Congressional oversight in hearings and unresponsiveness to official inquiries is unacceptable. Most troubling, however, is Administrator Lubchenco’s continued support for the catch-share management system that is decimating our fleet.
“Fishermen need the support of NOAA so they can stay in business, earn an honest living, and catch the food that so many of us in the Bay State and across the nation enjoy. Instead, what they have found is an unaccountable Washington agency that has appointed itself as judge, jury and executioner of our fishing communities. That attitude of indifference starts with Administrator Lubchenco. It's time for Administrator Lubchenco to go.”