April 15, 2012 – The idea of having a NOAA research crew working side-by-side with a trawl led by independent fishermen is a very real chance for Lubchenco, NOAA and the New England Council to take a major step toward an assessment that would, at long last, likely carry the credibility the fishermen and fishing communities deserve.
There are still a lot of questions and skepticism regarding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's plan to carry out a new cod assessment aimed at setting the limits for a fishing year that is still more than a year away, starting May 1, 2013.
And no one will know the extent of any such assessment until after the beleaguered New England Fishery Management Council meets this week in Mystic, Conn.
But there are only a couple of primary questions emanating from the idea that NOAA might — just might — be willing to step up its cooperative research by having commercial trawlers with experienced fishermen working alongside the NOAA research vessel. They are:
How soon can this project start?
Why is there even any question as to its viability?
And, assuming NOAA does finally open its door to using real, independent fishermen to help collect data, what has taken so long?
Read the full article at the Gloucester Times.