BOSTON (AP) — Fishing industry advocates who filled a Boston courtroom in March, hoping to persuade a federal judge to strike down new rules that set catch limits, got a blunt message from an opposing lawyer: If they really want change, they're in the wrong building, he said.
"They need to take that up with Congress," Department of Justice lawyer James Maysonett told U.S. District Judge Rya Zobel.
Last month, Zobel ruled against the industry, leaving it with little choice but to follow Maysonett's advice and try to change fishery law though legislation in Washington.
It won't come easy. Amending the Magnuson-Stevens Act will be a massive undertaking with uncertain prospects. Fishermen have recent legislative wins and backing from high-profile Massachusetts lawmakers Rep. Barney Frank and Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown. But that political pull is diluted by a legislative process that requires support from lawmakers from inland states where the fishing industry has little influence.
Read the complete story by The AP at My San Antonio.