September 20, 2019 — The New England Fishery Management Council will convene in Gloucester next week with an agenda that includes a groundfish monitoring measure that ultimately could determine the financial fate of the Northeast groundfish fleet.
The council is set to meet Monday through Thursday at the Beauport Hotel Gloucester. But for groundfishermen throughout the region, Wednesday is the key day.
The entire afternoon is set aside for discussing groundfish issues — including the current draft of Amendment 23, which when passed by the council and approved by NOAA Fisheries will set industry-funded monitoring coverages for the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery.
“We can’t stress enough how important it is for industry, for groundfishermen, to go to the meeting to hear what they might be facing down the road,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition. “Whatever is decided, they will have to pay for it eventually.”