Initial reports on the rollout by the federal government of a restructured groundfishing regulatory system came back all thumbs down, confirming worst fears of catch shares with evidence of job loss, declining landings and over-bureaucratization testified to by angry industry members.
Friday's meeting, which ran for two hours, brought out examples of how the past fishing histories of the permitholders set fishermen up to fail under the new rules.
Almost everyone who spoke identified a species for which he had little or no history, thus leaving the permit with miniscule allocations of one stock.
Richard Burgess, who owns four boats and heads the gillnet sector of about 40 boats, said his biggest boat, a 55 footer landed 6,500 pounds of cod on the first trip out in the new system which began last Saturday, leaving it only 500 pounds of allocated cod for the rest of the year.
"I got zero pounds of blackback flounder. So if I catch one fish, I'm illegal," he said.
"We're heading for catastrophic failure on every level," said state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, who co-sponsored the debriefing and strategic brainstorming of mostly Gloucester fishermen with Sen. Bruce Tarr and Mayor Carolyn Kirk.
An industry that, for three years of research and development, had been conflicted over converting to the catch shares and sector system of guild- like fishing cooperatives seemed to speak with a single voice for the first time Friday during the meeting, held at City Hall.
"This is an important turning point," said Tarr.
A similar emergency meeting was to be held this afternoon in New Bedford, called by Mayor Scott Lang.
Richie Canastra, co-owner of the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction who was to preside, said he expected a similar vote of no confidence in the new federal regulatory system there.
Listening and taking notes were representatives of U.S. Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown and Congressman John Tierney. But what the industry and its allies in Congress might be able to do to relieve the hardships was uncertain.
Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.