Locke, who met with a New Bedford and Northeast fishing industry and congressional delegation on Thursday, said that he will appoint a special master to review the worst cases identified by the inspector general, who issued his final report in mid-afternoon.

The move follows years of complaints from Northeast fishermen about heavy-handed tactics used by the law enforcement division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Parts of it were released earlier this year; the final report focuses on the Northeast office in particular.

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., took special note of the absence at the meeting of Jane Lubchenco, the embattled NOAA administrator who has been resisting calls for review of catch limits and for a revisiting of past cases of alleged prosecutorial abuse.

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