Sen. Scott Brown is the first to call for what is long overdue — an independent investigation into agents and enforcers of NOAA.
That, Brown said, may be the only way "to right the many wrongs our fishermen have suffered."
His colleague, Sen. John Kerry, along with Congressmen John Tierney and Barney Frank, should join his call to action. It should be clear to them by now that talking isn't going to accomplish anything.
The misdeeds of NOAA — ranging from ranging from wildly disproportionate treatment of New England fishermen to the misuse of millions of dollars in forfeiture funds — were documented more than a year ago, in an audit by U.S. Department of Commerce Inspector General Todd Zinser. And for a while, it seemed that Commerce Secretary Gary Locke would pursue justice for fishermen, both by relaxing some of the most draconian federal limits on fishing and halting the unjust prosecution of fishermen.
But, in recent weeks, Locke has been backing off. A few weeks ago, he refused to relax the limits, even after the recently retired chief scientist at NOAA, Steve Murawski, said this year will be a "milestone" because it will mark the end of overfishing by the U.S. commercial fleet.
Tierney said, "A culture of 'no' has taken hold of the Department of Commerce," and vowed to take the matter to the White House.
But Brown was the only one who called for an independent investigation of NOAA practices and policies.
Read the complete editorial from The Salem News.