NEW BEDFORD – May 4, 2011 – An economic assessment team from the U.S. Department of Commerce will arrive today for three days of meetings with city, banking, fishery, business and political leaders.
Mayor Scott W. Lang and others expressed concern the site visit might tend to distract from the basic fact that the city is experiencing hardship because of the rules and policies of the very agency that is now extending a helping hand. And critics say the meetings are at least a year too late and should have happened before catch shares and sector management were imposed on the region's groundfishery, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Lang said: "We've been trying to get them to understand that the reason they are coming to town is because of the economic impact on the fishing industry. They're talking about a total evaluation of the economy. That's the greatest thing they could offer with their various offices and resources, in-kind services. We would love it. But in reality we want them to understand that their regulations caused a tremendous amount of economic hardship."
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