News Opinion STANDARD-TIMES: NOAA's Northeast office needs administrator with balanced perspective |
STANDARD-TIMES: NOAA's Northeast office needs administrator with balanced perspective |
|
Patricia Kurkul, the Northeast Regional administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service, retires at the end of the year.
Her tenure included implementation of the catch shares program and the squeezing out of many smaller fishermen from the industry; the dismissal of a 15-1 vote of the New England Fishery Management Council to ease regulatory cutbacks (hers being the dissenting vote); an inspector general's report on an unfair, corrupt and potentially criminal enforcement structure that prompted reparations of $649,000 to fishermen; and a working environment between the regulators and the industry the inspector general characterized as being at a low point. Read the complete opinion piece from The Standard-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.
