December 3, 2014 — Officially it was a public hearing on the Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2. Unofficially, it was scientists versus fishermen.
The scientists say they are updating, as required by law, their long-standing Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) designations.
The fishermen say, “You are putting me out of business.”
The science is complex. At last week’s public hearing on the proposed changes to local fishing regulations, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) offered attendees a 45-page presentation outline and a 60-page public hearing document.
The concern for the long-term vitality of commercial and recreational fishing in the waters off New England is real. In Massachusetts, alone, charter boat fishing is a quarter-billion dollar industry.
But to a layperson, including many fishermen, the Amendment 2 maps – with their squiggly lines, shaded boxes and obscure acronyms meant to reveal the areas that may be regulated – are nearly unfathomable. The charts contained in the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) are mind numbing.
Read the full story at the Old Colony Memorial