When the attorneys who truly represent New England's diverse fishing interests file papers today to formally appeal a federal judge's decision to stand by the federal government's new fishery management system, Gloucester will once again be joining New Bedford as one of the lead plaintiffs.
That's because Mayor Carolyn Kirk has rightfully stood up once again for Gloucester's day boat and other independent fishermen who continue to be squeezed out of their jobs, out of their small businesses and, really, out of their way of life by a job-killing federal fishery management policy that deserves to be challenged at every turn.
Yes, there's a push from within a corner of the industry to now stick with the status quo of New England's so-called Amendment 16. That was the sentiment voiced by 109 fishermen who wrote to New England's congressional delegation last month.
But those signers represent just a quarter of New England's fishermen — and a number of them have been beneficiaries of those very policies at the expense of smaller, independent fishermen who've formed the core of the industry for centuries.
Read the complete editorial from The Gloucester Times