SavingSeaFood - MAINE: DMR Chief Norman Olsen to fishermen: Transparency, dialogue favored

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MAINE: DMR Chief Norman Olsen to fishermen: Transparency, dialogue favored

Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Norman Olsen said he favored transparency in the decision-making and policy-setting processes, and said he looked forward to a mutual dialogue with the fishing industry to pinpoint problems and come up with answers.

“I’ll work with all of you and give you all a straight answer,” he said.

To illustrate his approach of mutual engagement, Olsen had all of his personnel from the DMR and from Maine Marine Patrol attend the session. He said he wanted fishermen to get to know the people who are involved in marine resource regulation and enforcement.

“You don’t really need to know me so much as you need to know the people you engage with every day,” he told the crowd of about 300 people who attended the session. “There’s a tremendous amount of dehumanizing going on. ‘That son of a bitch on the other end of the phone who won’t give me my permit.’ ‘The guy who doesn’t write a letter back to answer my question.’ They’re living people, too, who are trying to do their job – just like you are.”

Read the complete story from Village Soup.

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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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