The top-dollar New England scallop fishery — a poster child for sustainability and economic productivity — will not undergo the proposed major changes that had been put before the New England Fishery Management Council.
The New England Fishery Management Council decided Wednesday against allowing scallop boat owners to accumulate permits by "stacking" and leasing, activities that would almost certainly have resulted in massive consolidation of the industry.
At the council's September meeting in Newport, R.I., a proposal to allow boat owners to lease their fishing days to other vessels was narrowly rejected, 9-7 with one abstention.
The stacking proposal — which would have allowed boat owners to acquire multiple permits — was beaten, 11-6.
Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.