NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — December 13, 2012 — Lubchenco's tenure will be remembered for the imposition of catch shares and so-called sector cooperative management in the Northeast groundfishing fleet. It was predicted that such a system would deliberately put many boats and their crews out of business and concentrate the fleet in fewer but larger boats.
That is what happened, but a civil lawsuit filed by New Bedford, Gloucester and a host of industry interests, charging that NOAA had violated the Magnuson-Stevens Act governing fisheries, eventually failed in federal court.
Lubchenco's tenure was also marked by scandal in the law enforcement division, which was eventually investigated by a special master appointed by the Commerce Secretary. "Her resignation marks the end of four of the most trying years that commercial fishing have ever experienced," Mayor Jon Mitchell told The Standard-Times.
Former Mayor Scott Lang said, "I think that I, in the summer of 2011, called for her resignation or to be fired. Shortly thereafter it was (U.S. Sen. Scott) Brown and then (U.S. Rep.) Barney Frank."
Lang rebuked Lubchecno for talking about reform at NOAA and making law enforcement transparent. "The whole thing is a travesty," he said.
"This is a very long campaign were going to have to make NOAA a transparent, reformed NOAA."
Lubchenco announced her plans in a lengthy email from "Dr. Jane" to NOAA staff that enumerated 20 of what she regarded as her achievements. "Returning fishing to profitability" is the first of them.
To which Mitchell responded, "To me that is completely unmoored from reality. I don't think you'll find anybody in New Bedford to say her tenure was a success."
Read the full story in the New Bedford Standard Times