Sharedand similar grievances from fishing ports along the Atlantic Coast allthe way to Florida have encouraged the formation of a congressionalcoalition from fishing districts whose members including Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., have filed a bill to instill some flexibility into the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
Therigid 10-year timetable allowed for the restoration of distressedstocks could be lifted if certain conditions are present, andregulators could allow fishing of weakened species so long as they wererecovering.
Today, NMFS does not recognize the option for flexibility in Magnuson that the New England congressional delegation and many members of the New England Fishery Management Councilbelieve is there. "Timelines are a crucial part of the rebuildingprocess," said Patrick Kennedy (D-Rhode Island), "but we can’t allowthem to be stringently dictated by government bureaucrats."
Read the complete story at Gloucester Times.