Two commercial fishermen from Montauk have joined with other commercial fishing groups and the City of New Bedford to sue federal fisheries managers over a major shift in policy. The suit claims that a new management system, when combined with unrealistic stock assessments, will cripple their industry.
Capts. Chuck Weimar and David Aripotch are party to the suit lodged against Gary Locke, the secretary of commerce, and Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The suit was filed with the United States District Court in Boston on Sunday. NOAA has also been hit with a related class action lawsuit filed by New Jersey fishermen.
In addition to the two Montauk fishermen and the city of New Bedford, the New Hampshire Commercial Fishermen’s Association, and the American Alliance of Fishermen and their communities are named as plaintiffs. All rely heavily on the groundfish fishery, which includes 19 species, among them cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder, and winter flounder.
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