A year after strict federal rules took effect to limit the catch of local fishermen, the nation’s top fisheries regulator testified at a congressional hearing on Beacon Hill yesterday that fish stocks are rebounding after years of decline and that the economically depressed fishing industry is showing signs of a comeback.
But local members of Congress who attended the hearing blamed the regulations for increasing the hardships of Massachusetts fishermen and urged the federal government to modify the requirements and do more to help those who can no longer afford to go to sea.
“These initial numbers are encouraging,’’ Lubchenco said.
But US Representative Barney Frank accused her of selectively choosing data to make the new policies appear less damaging.
“Your testimony cherry-picks what’s good and leaves out what’s not,’’ he said, pointing out the fishing industry’s overall revenue had actually fallen this fishing year by 2 percent.
He described NOAA as hostile to the region’s fishermen, comparing her administration of the agency to how the US Drug Enforcement Administration treats drug dealers.
“It’s an adversarial relationship,’’ which has created a lack of trust between fishermen and the agency, he said.
US Senator John F. Kerry – a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee who called the hearing – said he was concerned about the increasing concentration of groundfish gross revenues among the top-earning vessels. He said that last year 80 percent of the gross revenues resulted from only 20 percent of active boats.
“This clearly threatens the future of small-boat fishing in Massachusetts, which has been a way of life for generations of families,’’ Kerry said. “I want you to know that their way of life will not end on my watch.’’
Read the complete article from The Boston Globe