The results of the Inspector General's investigation confirms concerns that many members of the fishing community have raised for 10 years with congressional delegations — the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is an agency out of step, if not outright adversarial with the industry it is supposed to be working to preserve and protect.
The abuses in law enforcement are but one, serious manifestation of the problem.
The IG's reports and NOAA's promise of a fix offer little satisfaction to those who have left or been forced from the industry by action of, or fear of action by, NOAA law enforcement and its Office of the General Counsel.
While NOAA has promised to review the law enforcement issue, this should not cloud the larger picture — the hostile atmosphere within the agency that allowed these abuses to occur for over a decade, and which threatens the viability of the entire commercial fishing industry and fishing communities.