Critics of the government's drive to adopt a "catch share" fishery management protested the Obama administration's budget move to shift $17.4 million from research initiatives into the program.
NOAA's budget request sought an additional $1 million to defend against court challenges from fishermen, Hauter said.
The potential for shifting money away from research prompted members of Congress from the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic to protest "catch share policy (that) emphasizes restrictive management over research that increases quotas," Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said Wednesday.
Funding for cooperative research between scientists and fishermen has helped reverse restrictive management trends — notably in sea scallops and monkfish — that led to greater quotas and more jobs.
Read the complete story from the Asbury Park Press.