December 19, 2012 — As soon as SMAST arrived and commenced operations, it began to get the respect of the non-governmental scientific community, and with the efforts of Dr. Rothschild there developed a partnership with industry mostly because of the scientific approaches taken by the school and the ability to observe and attempt to develop fisheries in a manner that improved the financial rewards of the industry.
Throughout the 50 years I have been involved in the fishing industry, nothing has been more meaningful than the establishment of the School for Marine Sciences and Technology.
Prior to that event and the arrival of Dr. Brian Rothschild and his associates, the domestic fishing industry was subjected to the science used for assessing fishing stock sizes and their use in fishing conservation plans. The law called for the fishery management councils to use the best available scientific information, and in the days before SMAST that meant that whatever the National Marine Fisheries determined to be the proper approach was indeed the gospel. Fishermen and the industry generally were put through management measures that not only didn't make sense but ended up killing millions of pounds of seafood product, fish and scallops, subjected vessels to huge fines and loss of vessels, and resulted in a highly confrontational relationship between industry and government.
As soon as SMAST arrived and commenced operations, it began to get the respect of the non-governmental scientific community, and with the efforts of Dr. Rothschild and company there developed a partnership with industry mostly because of the scientific approaches taken by the school and the ability to observe and attempt to develop fisheries in a manner that reduced waste and improved the financial rewards of the industry. We all have been exposed to the camera and tripod method used to actually count scallops and their size and location rather than doing the annual trips that were the basis for government assessments and plan developments.
Within a few years after its inception, SMAST began to be looked at as developing over time into a world-class fisheries school and, as of this year, has graduated several classes of students with bachelor's degrees and doctorates, all of whom have been pursued by institutions and hired in their programs.
Read the full story in the New Bedford Standard Times