April 17, 2013 — A few weeks ago, second-generation commercial fisherman B.G. Brown almost gave up. He had learned how much fish he can legally catch in the coming year. The numbers were shockingly low.
“I was ready to throw in the towel,” Brown told a crowd of about 40 local business people, political leaders, concerned community members, and fellow fishermen that gathered last week to discuss the uncertain future of Gloucester’s historic industry.
There is consensus in the city that serious trouble is looming. During the past several years, economic and environmental concerns about overfishing have pushed federal regulators to steadily tighten annual catch limits. Last fall, the US Commerce Department declared an economic disaster in the Northeast groundfish fishery area.
In response to these challenges, local activist and former city councilor Valerie Nelson organized last week’s forum to examine the pressures facing the fishing industry and begin to explore both immediate and long-term solutions.
Almost everyone who spoke agreed that regulators should loosen the quota cuts for the coming year. If the current catch limits stand, the industry could be harmed irreparably, several speakers said.
“The only thing that’s going to make me survive May 1 — and it’s just around the corner — is if I get more fish,” said Gloucester fisherman Joseph Orlando.
In January, The New England Fishery Management Council, which oversees commercial fishing in the region, cut the quota for Gulf of Maine cod by 77 percent for the next three fishing years, beginning May 1. The limits on other species, including haddock and yellowtail flounder, also will be dropped significantly.
Read the full story at The Boston Globe