In a sharp reversal, scallop restrictions imposed by the New England Fishery Management Council in November will be on the agenda for discussion and possible reconsideration by the council in two weeks.
The highly anticipated decision by council Chairman John Pappalardo follows an uproar from fishermen, scientists, elected officials and others who complained that the council ignored the latest science in November when imposing a 25 percent cut in the scallop fishery for the year starting in March.
They contend that the scallop fishery is in even better shape than was believed, and that the fleet is nowhere near reaching the point of overfishing.
The objections were adamant, and the preliminary vote to curb scalloping was split, not nearly unanimous as the council approving overall regulations.
Lang, in a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, said, "I do not believe that the scientific data regarding the state of the scallop fishery was considered appropriately, nor do I believe that any appropriate economic impact was considered by the council."
The mayor accompanied his letter with a Freedom of Information Act request for all documents, correspondence, e-mails, telephone logs and so on connected with the decision, which he had told Locke was conducted in an "abrupt and irregular manner," and which produced an "arbitrary and capricious decision."
"I think it's absolutely the appropriate position to take. I think it's important that we re-examine the vote taken by council," Lang said Monday evening. "I think that there's enough of a discrepancy regarding the science and certainly the economic impact that it needs to be revisited."
Lang added that his public records request still stands.
The council needs to revamp its entire way of doing business, he said, to keep up with the science and curb interference and disregard for legal requirements. Solving the scallop issue, he said, "is like putting a patch on a badly worn tire."
"We need to change this process."
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