The National Fisherman’s editorial addresses Catch Shares, and NOAA’s delay in appointing a new head of NMFS.
With the June vote of the New England Fishery Management Council to allocate groundfish among 19 sectors, Yankees stand at the threshold of enlightenment, not just for New England but for the nation…. What the council has done is develop a plan that can accommodate historic fishing communities, that offers both longtime and would-be fishermen the prospect of a future consistent with their visions. There are no guarantees, but there is significant possibilities.
What’s the holdup? For months we have heard that two eminently qualified individuals, Brian Rothschild of the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology and Arne Fuglvog, a former Petersburg, Alaska, fisherman, comprise the short list of candidates to take the reins at NMFS…. In late July reliable sources were saying that the secretary of commerce has put a six-month hold on filling the position. … NOAA is working “to fill this position as quickly as we can,” says spokeswoman Monica Allen… Last time we looked, the industry and the agency could use all the leadership they could get.