Local fishermen fear that dramatic changes to management of groundfish species in the New England fishery could soon be reflected in a decline of their fleet and they are fighting back, alongside local legislators, to save their jobs.
Earlier this month, the National Marine Fisheries Service, in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s New England Fishery Management Council, switched from a days-at-sea management approach to catch-share management – or sectors – that tabulate fishermen’s annual catch limits based on fishing history of specific stocks.
Tina Jackson, president to the Point Judith-based American Alliance of Fishermen and their Communities, said fishermen are guaranteed rights to a sustainable fishery management plan under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act. Although she recognized measures need to be taken to protect fisheries, she said the Department of Commerce and NOAA should work with fishing communities to establish regulations that work with the industry, not against it in these tough economic times.
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