Dr. Brian Rothschild, a professor at UMass Dartmouth's School of Marine Science and Technology, has been a frequent critic of government fisheries policy. "First of all, this is good news for the fishermen," he said. "But you go to bed at night with X fish and you wake up with 5X?
"They set the limits after doing survey tows that concluded there were no pollock. But the fishermen said they were wrong, and it turned out the pollock were swimming above the survey nets. So they went back again and now this is the result. What is going on?"
"Somebody has to take a step back," seafood consultant Jim Kendall told The Standard-Times. "How far off can fishery science be when they come in with an assessment that shows they were 500 percent off in the beginning? That's the best science? Please. And remember, they didn't want to take a second look at it. They were forced into it only because people were so adamant that they were wrong."
Catch limits in New England, along with the new sectors plan for fishery management, have become mired in controversy since they were implemented May 1. After numerous meetings between fishermen and representatives from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Bedford and Gloucester joined a federal lawsuit to fight the imposition of a management system that they claim will collapse the industry.
There are a total of 15 named plaintiffs in the suit, including fishermen's groups in New Hampshire and Rhode Island, and several of the fish houses in New Bedford. The lawsuit contends that regulators failed to consider the economic impact on local communities before implementing sector management and catch shares.
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has filed an amicus brief on behalf of the fishing industry. On Tuesday, Gov. Deval Patrick announced that he also has filed an amicus brief backing the industry's position.
"His view is that the federal catch limits are unduly severe and the preparation for catch shares inadequate," Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles said in a press release.
Richie Canastra of the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction, a plaintiff in the suit, said that although the adjustment will be welcomed by the industry, its scale will only raise more questions about catch limits and sector management.
"This should have been done before they went ahead with introducing the new management system," he said. "It's another example of the 'Ready, fire, aim' system we're dealing with.
"People made business decisions based on what they were told previously, and now they're saying we've got more fish," Canastra said.
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