May 5, 2013 — As the Magnuson-Stevens Act approaches expiration in September — and Congress begins to debate what an amended law will look like — the nation's top-grossing fishing city will be watching with a keen eye.
Mayor Jon Mitchell and SouthCoast U.S. Rep Bill Keating are opening the dialogue to the public with an event at 1 p.m. Monday, May 13, at the Whaling Museum.
The joint meeting of the Federal Fishing Advisory Board and the Mayor's Ocean and Fisheries Council will center on the fisheries management law, giving the public the chance to voice concerns.
"In general, what we're trying to do is put together a game plan for our advocacy for the fishing industry in the months and years to come," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said the next two years present a significant opportunity for Congress to weigh in on fisheries management reform, as Magnuson-Stevens is debated.
Enacted in 1976, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act has been a flash point between, environmentalists and the federal government on one side, and the fishing industry on the other.
For Jim Kendall, who sits on both fisheries boards that will be represented at the meeting, the law is a great idea — on paper.
"The major problem with Magnuson-Stevens has been that it's not a bad law as written, but as practiced it's another story, because a lot of it is left up to interpretation of what was meant when the law was written."
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times