SavingSeaFood - New Bedford, MA, fishing port prepares for Hurricane Irene

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New Bedford, MA, fishing port prepares for Hurricane Irene

NEW BEDFORD - They are already preparing with police and fire meeting with the port director and coast guard as the sheer number of fishing boats are a major consideration.

But they have a structural advantage most ports do not.

Irene is now a deadly hurricane, plowing through Puerto Rico, killing one woman, and cutting power to a million people.

Streets and homes were flooded on the north coast of the Dominican Republic.

And now the Atlantic seaboard is in her sights, from Florida through New England with significant impact expected later in the week, first in North Carolina.

"So prepare. Plan for the worst and pray for the best. That's what we do in North Carolina. And we know how to do that," said Gov. Beverly Perdue, (D) of North Carolina.

Hundreds of miles away, on one of the nicest days of the summer in New Bedford, Massachusetts, it's hard to believe there is a massive storm soon likely to be churning up the coast.

But Port Director Kristin Decas says this city, one of the largest fishing ports in the East, is already preparing.

Read the complete story from NECN.com

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May 22, 2012 - Listening to the New England Council's Groundfish Advisory Panel talk about how that industry is going to pay for monitoring costs is kind of like trying to figure out how to pay your bills when you've just lost your job. Though monitoring is important keeping costs down is critical. As Panel Member Gary Libby pointed out, "If we had 100 percent monitoring we probably wouldn't have an industry."

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