GLOUCESTER, MA (July 8, 2009) – Two state representatives and the Mayor of Gloucester, Massachusetts will hold a march and vigil this evening in “protest of the overreaching and heavy handed practices of the Office of NOAA General Counsel and Enforcement Division of the National Marine Fisheries Service," according to the lawmakers’ prepared statement.
"In recent months, the (Massachusetts) state Legislature and Attorney General Martha Coakley have questioned and criticized these practices. In response, the (Massachusetts congressional) delegation requested an Inspector General's investigation of allegations made by the fishing industry, which was granted last month."
Last week, nine members of the North Carolina congressional delegation,stated that the "'allegations of excessive penalties and retaliatory actions by the Office of Law Enforcement' are by no means isolated to the Northeast".