The Fisheries Survival Fund, the largest national organization dedicated to protecting and strengthening the nation’s Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery, today in a written response strongly criticized the New England Fishery Management Council’s recent justification for Framework 21 to the Atlantic scallop fishery management plan and expressed profound disappointment at the Council’s decision to remove reconsideration of Framework 21 from its January 26-28 meeting agenda.
The Fisheries Survival Fund accuses the New England Fishery Management Council staff of undertaking "an unprecedented effort to issue press releases and other public statements to build justification and support for the Atlantic scallop fishing levels the Council had recommended in November to the National Marine Fisheries Service."
They note that "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of New Bedford, 17 Members of Congress, and well over 1000 members of the public who rely on the scallop fishery all asked the Council to reconsider this decision." And make the claim that the "Council’s own Executive Committee agreed the matter should be reconsidered at the Council’s January 26-28 meeting." The argue that the "decision was reversed, apparently without any transparency or debate.”
The Fisheries Survival Fund represents the interests of the full-time limited access scallop fleet.