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EDITORIAL: Kerry, reps request to halt NOAA charges should bring easy answer |
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It was certainly good to hear that U.S. Sen. John Kerry and three
fishing coast congressmen — John Tierney, Barney Frank and William
Delahunt — have stepped up and formally asked National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco to call a halt to any
and all fishing industry prosecutions by NOAA enforcement personnel
until the Inspector General's probe into NOAA's agents malfeasance can
be completed.
The troubling question is why Kerry, Tierney, Frank and Delahunt even had to call for such an obvious and very basic action. The truth is, even preliminary findings by the Office of Inspector General Todd Zinser have mapped out widespread NOAA enforcement problems under national administrator Dale Jones — especially in the Gloucester-based Northeast regional fiefdom headed by Andy Cohen. And while the letter from Kerry and his House colleagues — which would also clearly have the support of new U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, given his appearance at Wednesday's "United We Fish" rally — spotlights the need for Lubchenco to take a very appropriate step, it also once again drives home the point that she hasn't. |
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33 Fishing Community Members Say Permit Bank, Giacalone are pluses for Gloucester
This permit bank is a true local treasure for our fishing community and related businesses. Its existence has been one of the only positive things to come to this fishing community in decades.
