Preliminary numbers gathered by the National Marine Fisheries Service show that sectors have been successful in keeping ocean harvests well within the annual catch limits. Meanwhile a number of shoreside processors have seen a decline in the amount of fish they are buying and an increase in what they are paying fishermen for their product.
Moreover, the price that fishermen are paid for their catch has also risen significantly, as has overall revenue for the fishery to date. In the first eight months of the program, revenues were up 8 percent over last year. From both an economic and conservation point of view, the system is working. Some fishermen, however, argue that they did not receive a large enough allocation.
This has led to a polarized and charged political atmosphere. In fact, some elected officials are now suing the federal government to roll back the new system in an effort, they say, to help the small- boat fleet. Yet, rather than scrapping the plan, there are alternatives to assist small-boat family fishermen. Many family fishermen are being hurt by the recession, and we must find ways to assist them. But their long-term interests, as well as those of our region, will not be helped by undercutting efforts to better manage one of New England’s most precious resources — our fish populations.
Read the complete piece from The Boston Herald.