Northeast fisheries regulators on Wednesday rolled back sharp scallop catch cuts after heavy political pressure and fishing industry protests drove them to reconsider.
The New England Fishery Management Council voted 10-5 to adopt more lenient rules that restore a 22 percent cut in the number of fishing days, which scallopers said could have cost them hundred of thousands of dollars per boat.
The council initially refused to reconsider, but that changed after Gov. Deval Patrick intervened with the council chair earlier this month.
Members who voted for the change Wednesday said they were correcting a mistake that would have caused a healthy industry major short-term pain for minimal gain. Council member David Pierce said the best science indicates scallopers wouldn't come close to overfishing the stock under more the lenient rules, but the council initially misunderstood it.