Industry has mixed reactions to skate and pollock increases
Commerce Department announcement
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced that he is raising the pollock limit six-fold, from 6 to 36 million pounds.
Previous recent actions have also raised the spiny dogfish limit from 12 to 15 million pounds and revised the skate limit upward from 67.5 to 90.5 million pounds. Another pending action proposes to increase the red crab limit from 3.56 to 3.91 million pounds.
Read the Secretary's statement
Elected officials' response
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, and Congressmen Barney Frank, John Tierney and William Delahunt, and Maine Senator Olympia Snowe responded to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's announcement of an increased in the pollock limit from 6 to 36 million pounds with praise for the increase, but a unanimous perspective that more must be done.
Governor Patrick called the increase an "important first step" but called for an increase in "catch limits on all groundfish to the higher end of the acceptable range."
Senator Kerry said "without corresponding increases in the remaining 'choke stocks' our fishermen may not be able to significantly increase fishing this season." and he asked "NOAA to expand the catch limits for the remaining 'choke stocks' so our fishermen will be able to stay in business during this regulatory transition."
Senator Snowe state "I remain disappointed that NOAA and the Department of Commerce have failed to take additional action to increase catch limits on other so-called 'choke stocks'" and "I find it telling that NMFS's initial assessment of this resource was not just too low, but too low by such a vast margin-over thirty million pounds."
Congressman Frank, who last week called for NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco's resignation, then reversed his position after assurances from the White House that his concerns on fisheries issues would be addressed by the Administration stated "I am especially pleased that the decision today was announced directly by the Secretary of Commerce, who has authority over NOAA and has made this a priority." The Congressman pointed out that NOAA's reversal "confirms our view that previous allocations were much more restrictive than the science requires."
Congressman Tierney called for increases in the "remaining choke stocks" and "as much flexibility as possible."
Read the elected official's statements
Saving Seafood Analysis
Earlier today, in advance of the Secretary's announcement, Saving Seafood examined concerns raised by Northeast commercial fishermen that the recent limit increase in skate, and the anticipated increase in pollock may help but not be enough. Some felt that these after-the-fact increases underscore failed scientific understanding on the part of regulators. Emotions ranged from angst to gratitude. Saving Seafood spoke with fishermen from Maine to Rhode Island, NOAA, industry leaders from New Bedford, and the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association.