May 3, 2013 — Congressman Bill Keating and New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell are inviting you to participate in a joint meeting of the Federal Fishing Advisory Board and the Mayor’s Ocean and Fisheries Council. The meeting will take place on Monday, May 13, 2013, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm, at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
The meeting will address, among other things, the September 2013 expiration of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, potential improvements, and innovative solutions. It is important to the Congressman and Mayor that you, the fishery stakeholders, have the opportunity to provide input into this process. The text of the letter from Congressman Keating and Mayor Mitchell follows:
May 2, 2013
Thank you for your continued participation as an active Member of the Federal Fishing Advisory Board and/or the Mayor's Ocean and Fisheries Council. As key stakeholders in Massachusetts' marine and fishing communities, we have found your knowledge and expertise to be invaluable in keeping up to speed on issues of concern to the industry.
On Monday, we stood before many of you at a rally at the Boston Fish Pier with members of Congress and state and local officials to once again highlight the devastating impact of the expected cuts to groundfish quota for the 2013 fishing year. Together, we pledged our continued support for the Massachusetts fishing industry.
The reality before us, as we discussed in detail at the most recent meeting of the Federal Fishing Advisory Board and as we again highlighted at Monday's rally, is that a "perfect storm" of external
factors has put the livelihoods of this historic industry at risk of extinction. What the industry needs now are creative solutions to a complex crisis.
Thus, we would like to invite you to attend a joint meeting of the Federal Fishing Advisory Board and the Mayor's Ocean and Fisheries Council, to discuss the upcoming expiration of the Magnuson-Stevens Act at the end of September and room for improvement. As key stakeholders in Massachusetts' marine and fishing communities, we look forward to hearing your insight regarding existing discrepancies in federal fisheries management.
Date: May 13, 2013
Time: 1:00-3:00PM
Location: New Bedford Whaling Museum
RSVP: Brian Rothschild- brothschild@umassd.edu
Again, we thank you for your continued participation and we hope to see you at the meeting on May 13. Sincerely,
William R. Keating
Member of Congress
Jon Mitchell
Mayor of New Bedford