April 17, 2024 — Mayor Jon Mitchell testified before the New England Fishery Management Council Tuesday in Mystic, Conn., urging the board to open the Northern Edge scallop grounds to New Bedford commercial fishermen.
Prior to his public comments on Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Mitchell submitted a letter to Chairman Eric Reid and the other members of the Council calling for the opening of the “key new source of scallops.”
“While there are multiple species that are harvested by New Bedford fishing vessels, scallops are the prime drivers of economic activity within the Port of New Bedford,” Mayor Mitchell wrote. “The fishermen of New Bedford know this, and they take great care in maintaining the resource and recognize the strategic long-term importance of managing the biomass.”