December 22, 2017 โ NEW BEDFORD, Mass. โ In a letter addressed to NOAA, Mayor Jon Mitchell said the Port of New Bedford could be losing nearly $500,000 a day because of the groundfishing ban.
Mitchell referenced analysis prepared by Professor Dan Georgiana of SMAST, which stated the 25-day-old ban caused as much as $12 million (to date) in damage to the port.
Mitchell filed his letter Wednesday, the final day in which comments regarding the ban could be submitted. Andrew Saunders, the attorney for Sector IX, the Carlos Rafael fishing division thatโs prevented from groundfishing, also submitted a letter Wednesday.
โItโs no exaggeration to say that hundreds of lives in New Bedford have been disrupted by the NOAA decision,โ Mitchell wrote.
NOAA said it is still processing the submitted comments and wouldnโt comment on any submissions.
Mitchell doubled down on his plea throughout the Rafael saga: That innocent third parties shouldnโt be harmed for Rafaelโs actions. NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard revoked Sector IXโs operational plan on Nov. 20, which banned Rafaelโs fleet from groundfishing. Bullard, a former New Bedford mayor, backed his decision stating deficiencies lingered within the sector.
Mitchell, a former U.S. prosecutor, presented a legal argument that should have prevented the ban. He cited National Standard 8, which states any prevention of overfishing should take into account the extent of adverse economic effects.
โI believe National Standard No. 8 would require due consideration of the socioeconomic impact that the notice of withdrawal of approval has on the member of Sector IX as well as the effected stakeholders in the Port of New Bedford,โ Mitchell wrote.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times