SavingSeaFood - Enviro, fishing groups both wary of cod losses

Enviro, fishing groups both wary of cod losses

Arch enemies on most ocean issues, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Recreational Fishing Alliance both expressed reservations Thursday about the whether a dire assessment of Gulf of Maine cod, the essential food fish for commercial and charter boats, can reliably be used to drive regulatory policy.

The peer-reviewed assessment, which leaked out with a jaw-dropping thud last fall, was put through a public debate and evaluation Wednesday in Providence, R.I., at a meeting of the Science and Statistical Committee of the New England Fishery Management Council.

The committee took a nearly unprecedented step of not ratifying the assessment, a move that legally keeps open several options for the regional council, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Secretary of Commerce John Bryson.

Bryson and NOAA flagged the problem before the study was peer-reviewed, and has organized working groups to grapple with the legal and political implications of the assessment.

Read the complete opinion piece from The Gloucester Times

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.

More Opinion >