Rush Limbaugh spoke about the fishing industry in New England on his January 14, 2011 radio show. The transcript follows:

From New Bedford, MA, the Boston Herald, calling the US Dept of Commerce's attitude towards the fishing industry unacceptable and angry. Rep. Barney Frank is threatening to withhold cooperation with the Obama White House “on a number of important issues”. 

In a scathing op-ed commentary, Barney Frank (D-MA) said last week the Obama regime violated assurances that it was prepared to work constructively with the fishing industry in New England. The administration had begun to follow through on some of what it promised last fall, but the wholly, negative tone, both of its decisions last week and of the language it used to justify them, undermine my confidence so we can count on these commitments going forward.

You’re probably “What the hell is this all about?” Exactly. I don’t even know. I’ve only read as far as I told you. A public meeting of Mayor Scott W Lang’s Fishery Advising Council set for yesterday at 4 to discuss the refusal of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to invoke his emergency powers to raise catch limits and supply financial help for the regional fishing industry as it struggles with a new catch share system.

So I guess the government is regulating how many fish somebody in a private business can catch. They call it the new catch share system. And as the fishery council meeting approaches, anger remains unabated over Locke’s refusal to provide help. There’s also anger at NOAA. Assistant Administrator Eric Schwaab wrote an accompanying letter which explained Locke’s rejection in greater detail.

"Commerce Secretary Gary Locke’s adamant refusal to consider the scientific evidence regarding fish stocks and the dismissive tone of NOAA and Assistant Administrator Schwaab’s refusal to acknowledge the economic crisis facing fishermen were unworthy of their responsibilities as federal officials. There is a sad contrast between what they told us they were prepared to do last October, and what they blatantly refused to do in January." [Said Rep. Frank].

Who are we talking about here? We are talking about the [Obama] regime. And Barney, the regime will screw you just like they’ll screw anybody else. It doesn’t matter if you’re all Democrats, but learn it, love it, live it. Barney has got to learn that he lives in the land of Obama-ville, where the leader lies about everything. I know it’s about the animals and the environment and all kinds of things. It is now clear that the secretary is unwilling to exercise independent judgment, and an anti-fishing attitude prevails in the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Barney Frank says, “This is unacceptable, I have worked with the regime on a number of important issues since Obama came to office, I will continue to be supportive of our common goal, but the President must understand that the administration’s persistence is a serious fault of the livelihood of the working men and women in the fishing industry. You are making it difficult for me to maintain this degree of cooperation.”

There is a companion story to this, in the Boston Herald, "The Industry’s Hopes Sink" is the headline, US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in October raised the hopes of the local fishing industry by agreeing to consider higher catch limits on certain fish species which the fishermen argue was the only way to keep the industry afloat. On Friday he crushed those hopes. Despite pleas from the New England fishing industry, from Gov. Deval Patrick and dozens of other elected officials, Locke refuses to increase catch limits on certain protected species.

I love this! I finally find out what this is all about now: the left is being hoisted on its own petard. They’re the ones who have given us all these stupid regulations, animal rights and all this other stuff… Barney why don’t you try drilling for oil and see what that’s like with this regime. So the regime promised them that they are going to raise fish catch limits and then said, “Oh no you can’t because it’s a protected species.”

So Barney, guess what, your constituents’ livelihood doesn’t matter a hill of beans compared to the species. Add to that, the leader of the regime lied to Barney about this. Under new federal rules, once they hit their new catch limit on one species, they are prevented from fishing for others that may be in much greater abundance, thereby leaving sustainable catch in the ocean. Patrick estimated direct losses in foregone catch at $40 million.

Once they hit their annual limit on one species, they are prevented from fishing for others that may be in much greater abundance thereby leaving sustainable catch in the ocean. While smaller boats claim it will drive them out of business, the new catch share system is viewed by some as a more equitable way to manage stocks and prevent overfishing. Yeah, socialism, make everything equally miserable. Equally undersupplied. Equally woeful. And by all means don’t let the market have anything to say about this. No, the regime and Gary Locke. So Obama is killing another industry.

The New England fishing industry is being killed by Obama, the Gulf oil industry, the Alaskan oil industry; and we don’t hear about this in Boston. It’s in the local news, but the drive by’s haven’t picked it up because they haven’t found a way yet to blame it on Sarah Palin.