Congressman Barney Frank has expressed "disappointment" in the pace and significance of Obama administration responses to a suite of New England fisheries' problems placed in front of Jane Lubchenco, the President's top appointee on ocean issues, last October.
Frank, who previously had a lengthy sitdown to enlist Lubchenco's support for "the economic and social health of the fishing industry," received a letter from her on Jan. 6; he answered on Jan. 29.
The Newton Democrat and acknowledged leader of the East Coast fishing caucus minced few words, asserting that Lubchenco, as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, had "squandered" a major opportunity to mitigate severe cuts in the mixed groundfish stocks.