The ongoing, intense fight over a new fishing regulation regime has never been solely about conservation.
It is also about economics — specifically the economic health of fishing communities such as Gloucester.
And it’s good to see one of the biggest of the "Big Greens" show perhaps an increased awareness of that when it comes to implementing a new federal fishing regulatory policy that threatens to carve out a dire economic impact for local fishing fleets throughout New England and elsewhere.
The Pew Environment Group, a $5 billion philanthropy, clearly still believes in keeping tight restrictions on fishing in the name of preserving the resource. And it still supports the concept of "catch shares," the system of fisheries management based on fishermen’s actual catch, as opposed to the current effort controls that limit fishermen days at seas and access to various fishing grounds.