December 20, 2012 — Massachusetts State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, in a letter to the New England Fishery Management Council, called upon Council members to implement flexible allocations that take into account both the uncertainty in current fisheries science and the economic hardship currently affecting fishing communities.
Sen. Tarr cited the fact that the Magnuson-Stevens Act “manages fisheries to achieve sustainable harvests, and not for the purpose of merely increasing stock biomass to achieve the dictates of a scientific abstract” when he called for less severe restrictions on the fishery and more support for fishing communities affected by strict regulations. “Margins of error shouldn’t be allowed to drive more restrictions that threaten the survival of the industry,” he wrote.
The letter stated that, absent more accurate information than the currently disputed stock assessments, the Council should consider “more flexible allocation procedures, and implementation of reasonable catch limits with an understanding that they will be modified if a problem arises, rather than the reverse.”
Sen. Tarr concludes by urging the NEFMC to take caution when moving forward on Framework 48, and to work together with NOAA and fishing families to achieve the best possible management.