WASHINGTON — Seeking to ease fears about the economy in coastal communities and criticism of new federal fishing regulations, U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Quincy, is moving to form a Federal Fishing Advisory Board.
The membership of the board is still being finalized, but it is expected to consist of fishermen, scientists and governmental officials. An announcement of who will serve on the board is slated for Tuesday.
But three of Keating’s congressional colleagues who represent coastal communities – Democrats Barney Frank, Stephen Lynch and John Tierney – are slated to be members.
The idea behind creation of the advisory board is to bridge the gap between the federal government and local fishermen, and the board provides an “opportunity to get grass-roots input into fisheries management,” said Brian Rothschild.
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