The leading ports for the New England fishing industry, Gloucester and New Bedford — joined by a far flung coalition of commercial fishing interests — have teamed up to file suit against the federal government for creating and implementing what plaintiffs say is a ruinous new management system on the groundfishery.
The filing of the suit — plus a related class action claim from New Jersey — ratchets up of protests against the Obama administration's fisheries management policies under National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco that began in the parking lot of the regional offices in Gloucester last October and expanded into a mass national rally at the side of the Capitol in February.
The new system was activated on May 1, and, in recent days, fishermen have testified at open meetings in both cities that business failures seemed inevitable.
Amendment 16, as the New England groundfish regimen is known, "drives yet another sword through the very heart of the fishing industry and fishing communities," New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang said in a letter sent Monday to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.
Locke is scheduled to meet Wednesday with a New England and coastal congressional delegation that had appealed to him for emergency action to mitigate the unraveling of the industry.
Congressman Barney Frank and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, coordinated the appeal to Locke. Their letter with 23 signatures pointedly did not "cc" Lubchenco, who presides over the oceans and atmosphere for Locke's Cabinet department.
Background:
Nations' Largest Port, Fishermen, and Businesses from Six States Sue Feds
New Bedford Mayor calls NOAA leadership "disingenuous and fraudulent", joins lawsuit against NOAA
Largest New England Ports Revolt Against New Federal Regulations
NOAA releases draft national policy encouraging the use of catch shares (Dec. 10, 2009)