Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk  suggested such a boycott last Friday, and was considering organizing an alternative meeting.

Many in the industry are particularly upset that Andrew Cohen, agent in charge of the Gloucester office, is first on the agenda. In a view expressed by industry members and newspaper editorials, Cohen is at the heart of the problem in the Northeast and should have nothing to do with the forum or any reform decisions. Another NOAA staffer whose role in enforcement has been criticized by industry, Charles Julliand, who heads the NOAA office of general counsel in Gloucester, told the Gloucester Times he would also attend but is not on the agenda.

Mayor Kirk told The Standard-Times she has been consulting with NOAA officials to rethink the roster, and said she is somewhat encouraged by the addition of Alan Risenhoover, the interim chief of law enforcement for NOAA.

READ THE STORY: Gloucester & New Bedford mayors urge boycott of NOAA forum