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Gloucester fishermen warn NOAA head of dire future |
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Fisherman Al Cottone gestured to his fishing boat, tucked in a cold
corner of Gloucester harbor today, and told the nation’s fisheries
chief he might not be in business much longer.
A decade ago, Cottone downsized to the small, 45-foot dragger after his fishing partner, his father, retired. He planned to upgrade, he told National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco. But ever-tighter rules left him without the catch and cash to get it done. Now, a May 1 switch to a new management system has him on the brink of shutting down, he said. "We’re in panic mode," Cottone, 44, told Lubchenco. "I mean, I don’t know if you realize that we’re in panic mode." "I heard that loud and clear," Lubchenco responded. |
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33 Fishing Community Members Say Permit Bank, Giacalone are pluses for Gloucester
This permit bank is a true local treasure for our fishing community and related businesses. Its existence has been one of the only positive things to come to this fishing community in decades.