Federal oceans administrator Jane Lubchenco yesterday acted to regain control of fisheries law enforcement whose activities — notably in the Northeast and with the Gloucester fleet — have been criticized in a scathing report by the U.S. Commerce Department's Inspector General.
In her first active response to the report of U.S. Commerce Department Inspector General Todd Zinser — released two weeks ago — Lubchenco acknowledged "longstanding deficiencies" and asserted that fixing the problems would take some time.
But she vowed to fix National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's law enforcement arm, which has tarnished the first year of an administration that began with Lubchenco's admission at her confirmation hearing that the agency's relationship with the fishing industry was "dysfunctional."