U.S. oceans chief Jane Lubchenco sidestepped questions about her support for reducing the size of the New England fishing fleet this morning in a meeting with Gloucester fishermen, and promised to “refine” coming federal regulations the are projected to wipe out a large portion of the industry.
Around 30 fishermen and industry members warned Lubchenco of a wave of foreclosures, bankruptcies and layoffs on the waterfront in the next year as a result of an upcoming change in management system and severe rationing of the catch starting in May.
They called for changes in how their allocations of fish are calculated, consideration of the impact on fishing communities when developing rules and freedom from requirements to rebuild all marine species to hard targets simultaneously.
Read the Gloucester Daily Times story in full