PORTLAND — February 10, 2013 — Groundfishermen are taking the blame for the fishery crisis, while those who create policy are exempt from scrutiny.
The unfortunate connotation is that the fishermen, and their greedy indifference to the resource, are the problem. But fishermen catch only what regulators have determined can be caught within the management plan — often far less.
Instead of using the term "overfishing," perhaps news coverage should use "mismanagement" or "overprotection" as the underlying cause leading to quota cuts and a crisis. It is not completely out of bounds to question which is more accurate in describing the current state of affairs.
The science that the regulatory process relies upon for setting sustainable catch quotas has been imperfect at best and at times downright inaccurate.
It is a hard job to count the fish in the sea. No one disputes that. But regulators are also making decisions based on values — the values of those who influence them.
These values come out in the form of policy decisions such as the protection of dogfish or harbor seals, which has a direct impact on the health of groundfish stocks. Fair questions need to be posed about how priorities are set and who has influence in the regulatory process.
It may come as news to many that groundfishing in Portland and in Maine is not actually dead. It is just a far cry from what it used to be and maybe could be again.
The guys (and gals) who are left are the best of the best, running lean and mean and working hard to eke out a living in a difficult regulatory environment and with few true allies. These are the ones who bring us the healthy, wild-caught, fresh, local Gulf of Maine cod, haddock, pollock, hake and redfish in the seafood display for a reasonable price — the ultimate locally sourced organic food.
This is also the same industry that employs folks at the Portland Fish Exchange, Vessel Services and the processors on the Fish Pier — the truckers, shippers, suppliers and more all up and down Commercial Street and up and down the coast.
This is a real economy and adds a significant value to our state in many ways. If and when it is gone, we will all be worse off.
No, groundfishing in Maine is not dead yet, but it is on life support. Especially now. It is time to stop simply blaming the fishermen for the problem and expect more from our elected officials, regulators and scientists to work with fishermen and all interested parties to find solutions and get our Gulf of Maine resource back to a healthy and balanced condition that works for everyone.
Alan Tracy of Freeport, Maine, is an attorney and CEO of Vessel Services Inc. in Portland
Read the full opinion piece at the Portland Press Herald