In its Fourth of July editorial, the Standard-Times, serving New Bedford, Massachusetts, the nation's largest fishing port in terms of value of catch landed, has called for Congressional and White House examination of NOAA and its enforcement office to determine which laws have been broken and to "levy justice" on employees who have abused their authority and the public trust.

Read the editorial on the Standard Times' website South Coast Today.

For background on the NOAA funds abuse scandal in which funds from fines levied on fishermen were spent by senior federal officials on cars for managers, a $300,000 luxury undercover boat and a weeklong training workshop in Norway, see the Associated Press Story by Jay Lindsay, or read the report of the Inspector General on the audit conducted by KPMG.

The Standard-Times is the current holder of the New England Newspaper of the Year honor, awarded by the New England Newspaper Association. It is published by South Coast Media Group, a division of Dow Jones.