I don't think the Magnuson Act permits the government to pick winners and losers in our fishing industry. I always thought that was what capitalism and a market economy were all about.
Who would argue for a smaller scallop fleet when there are plenty of scallops to be harvested? The idea is being promoted by the Scallop Committee of the New England Fishery Management Council. Ironically, the Scallop Committee is chaired by the Massachusetts state designee to the full Fishery Council. I hope that he (and his bosses) will challenge Amendment 15 at the full council level. Meetings are occurring as you read this, and the last chance to head off this plan will be in September at the next full meeting of the New England council.
The federal law governing fisheries, known as the Magnuson Act, prohibits the federal government from issuing regulations which only amount to economic allocation. The proper focus of regulation is supposed to be the seafood itself. In this case, it is only about allocating the economic resources by which scallop fishing is conducted. Amendment 15 will change the way the scallop fleet functions with absolutely no link or justification that the change is designed to promote conservation of the scallop population itself.
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