The letter, dated Monday, is not a love letter to the new system, which has been in place since last year, and which some fishermen vocally despise. But it says local fishermen are making it work, and scraping it would only damage the industry lawmakers are trying to save.

The letter asks lawmakers to instead focus on various ways to improve what already exists.

"A few voices calling for the overturn of the entire ... system have been amplified in the media," the letter reads. "Unfortunately, this has led to a series of increasingly dangerous proposals that truly put the future of our businesses and fisheries at risk."

Read the complete story by Jay Lindsay of The AP at The Boston Globe.