NEW BEDFORD — In a serious setback for the city's fishing interests, a federal district court judge has denied New Bedford, Gloucester and others who filed suit against new fishing regulations the chance to interview officials involved in writing and imposing the new rules.
The order by Judge Rya Zobel in Boston federal court denied without comment the plaintiffs' motion for discovery in the case. It means that attorneys for the fisheries interest will not be able to obtain sworn depositions from such officials as Jane Lubchenco, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or top officers of environmental groups to learn about any influence in the process of drafting Amendment 16 to the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Amendment 16 established the current catch shares and sector management scheme to regulate commercial groundfishing in the Northeast. It is blamed for nine months of sharp reductions in fishing fleet activity and the loss of hundreds of jobs.
The lawsuit contends the U.S. Commerce Department violated Magnuson in several ways, including a failure to identify and minimize the economic harm the regulations might cause within the fishing industry.
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