Lang and industry representatives from Gloucester and New Bedford — along with Congressman Barney Frank and scientists from UMass-Dartmouth's School of Marine Science and Technology — all denounced the decision outlined by Locke in brief letters to the governor and congressman. Locke's rejection was accompanied by a separate letter to Patrick by Eric Schwaab, the federal government's top fisheries official, explaining aspects of Locke's decision in detail. But those at Thursday's gathering painted Locke's and Schwaab's case as factually ignorant.

Patrick was represented at the meeting by Rick Sullivan, a former mayor of Westfield and the new secretary of energy and environmental affairs, as well as Mary Griffin and Paul Diodati, top officials in the state Division of Marine Fisheries.

"Certain fights are worth fighting," said Sullivan. "This is one of them."

"I believe the rulemaking process is as corrupt at the law enforcement process," Lang told about 100 participants in the meeting — including industry representatives from Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island in addition to Gloucester and New Bedford.

He said the government regulated "with a thumb or a finger on the scale."

And he said, the law enforcement system exposed by IG Todd Zinser was as bad as any federal body in modern history — although, Lang charged, NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco and Schwaab, her choice to head NOAA's fisheries service, had done their best to ignore the findings.