The Obama administration will consider easing fisheries regulations in a bid to help Northeastern fishermen facing reductions in their catch, the head of the Commerce Department said yesterday.
In letters to New England lawmakers yesterday, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke indicated he would be willing to make concessions to help the embattled fishermen. The changes could include special exemptions to the 2006 fisheries conservation act intended to end overfishing and restore depleted stocks.
The development is a reversal of Locke's previous stance on changes to the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act — the 2006 law that sets strict requirements to end overfishing and base catch limits on recommendations from scientific advisory boards.
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