WASHINGTON — 8 March 2012 – As fishermen in New England anxiously await an interim measure regarding catch limits for the Gulf of Maine cod fishery, three senators from the region used a Wednesday hearing to take aim at chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the issue.
A recent assessment of Gulf of Maine cod raised the ire of fishermen and others living in coastal communities, as it presented the fishery to be in crisis — a major reversal from a 2008 assessment that had painted a rosy picture of the fishery's health.
“The struggle we're having right now over the cod assessment underscores the need for better scientific resources our fishermen can trust,” Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., declared during a hearing of the Senate Commerce subcommittee with jurisdiction over fisheries. “The difference between the last two assessments was night and day.”
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