Fisherman Al Cottone gestured to his fishing boat, tucked in a cold corner of Gloucester harbor today, and told the nation’s fisheries chief he might not be in business much longer.
A decade ago, Cottone downsized to the small, 45-foot dragger after his fishing partner, his father, retired. He planned to upgrade, he told National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco. But ever-tighter rules left him without the catch and cash to get it done.
Now, a May 1 switch to a new management system has him on the brink of shutting down, he said.
"We’re in panic mode," Cottone, 44, told Lubchenco. "I mean, I don’t know if you realize that we’re in panic mode."
"I heard that loud and clear," Lubchenco responded.