New Bedford's pre-eminence as the nation's most valuable commercial fishing port should provide it with a persuasive voice in any conversation about the future of commercial fishing, assuming that the industry and its advocates continue to speak loudly and with one voice on the matters that affect them most significantly.
It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. It is the age of knowledge, it is the epoch of ignorance. It is a season of plenty, it is a summer of want. It is the glory of commercial fishing in New Bedford, and it is tragedy of the No. 1 fishing port in the United States.
With apologies to author Charles Dickens, it most certainly is a Tale of Two Fisheries.
This is a critical moment in the industry's history. And whether it is destined to be the best of times or the worst of times will depend on whether or not we are successful in convincing federal regulatory agencies to enact policies that strike a wise balance between environmental and human concerns.
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