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Fishermen seek access to closed fishing areas |
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New England fishermen are asking the National Marine Fisheries Service to allow them to fish inside areas that have long been off limits to groundfish boats. If regulators agree, it could provide a real boost for the local fishing industry, insiders say, allowing fishermen better access to fish stocks, particularly abundant species such as redfish, pollock, haddock and hake.
"It's not asking to catch more fish," said New Bedford's Rodney Avila, explaining that fishermen already have hard quotas to limit their annual catch. "What this does is give the boats flexibility so everyone isn't piled up in one area of the ocean, beating it down." Read the complete story from The Standard-Times.
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HASTINGS: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act
May 18, 2012 - When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon, he spoke about the importance of preserving “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” I believe that goal is as important today as it was back then. However, after nearly 40 years, it’s time to take a fresh, honest look at the law and consider whether there are ways it could be improved to do a better job of protecting and recovering species.
