The Bay State's gripes about Washington bureaucrats' bad science, biased administration and overzealous enforcement of fishing regulations are finally gaining traction.
On the heels of Sen. Scott Brown's call for the resignation of NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco came word Monday that her boss, newly installed Commerce Secretary John Bryson, will be coming to Massachusetts later this year to assess the situation with his own eyes and ears.
He should find plenty to give him pause in the shrinking fleets in Gloucester, New Bedford and other fishing communities.
Brown put it well in a statement that followed his visit Saturday to the nation's oldest and once busiest fishing port in Gloucester:
"Just a few weeks ago, Administrator Lubchenco told us at a hearing in Boston that the fishing industry is on the rebound. That incredible statement demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the situation in Gloucester, New Bedford and across New England. I hoped that she would stick around to get the real facts from the fishermen and scientists assembled to testify after her. Instead, she left early.
Read the complete opinion piece from The Salem News