The Commerce Department's inspector general is turning a critical eye again to the federal government's regulation of commercial fishing, based on complaints emanating from the industry and a request by Massachusetts' congressmen.
After exposing a federal fisheries law enforcement system that treated New England fishermen as criminals by denying their rights and extracting excessive fines that were improperly used, Inspector General Todd Zinser has now announced his office will now examine "rulemaking" at NOAA and its regional fishery management council.
Eric Schwaab, NOAA's assistant administrator for fisheries, said he welcomed the "review as another opportunity to improve fisheries management." (See full statement in related story).
But, among his expressed interests, Zinser said he would evaluate how the New England Fishery Management Council operated and complied with the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Read the complete article from The Gloucester Times