"It's almost Darwinian. It will be survival of the fittest," said Joshua B. Wiersma, Ph.D., the Northeast Seafood Coalition's resource economist and sector analyst.
Representatives from this port's unloading branch of the Boston Seafood Display Auction, Ocean Crest Seafood Co. Inc., Steve Connolly Seafood Co, and the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction, including one of its auction seat-holders, explain what they as fish handlers fear about the industry's new management scheme, and several tell how it could change the way they do business.
"The purpose of sectors is to alleviate overfishing and discards and to consolidate the fleet. It's also a way for NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) to put the burden of management on the industry. I don't believe we need to further consolidate the industry, I think there is enough fish to sustain the existing fleet," explained Bill Holler, vice president of seafood purchasing and operations for Legal Seafoods.
Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.