Tomorrow night’s vigil and march in support of Gloucester’s fishing community should send an important message to federal officials who impose regulations on New England’s fishermen — especially those whose tactics used to enforce those regulations are, for good reason, now under investigation by the Inspector General’s office of the federal Department of Commerce.
In fact, the mere planning of tomorrow’s vigil and march — to be led by state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, state Sen. Bruce Tarr and Mayor Carolyn Kirk — should already convey to federal officials that this is not solely a rally by fishermen, their families and those close to the industry, but of an entire community and its leaders.
Indeed, the actions of NOAA enforcement — especially through its shameful, heavy-handed tactics in a push to shut down the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction — are an issue of dire concern to all of us. As Mayor Kirk noted in announcing the vigil and march, the fishing industry is "an important contributor to our local economy." And these enforcement actions, based on questionable science and regulatory mandates in the first place, are part of a clear, even admitted, campaign by the federal government to drive more fishermen out of the industry.